ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders released former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell on Thursday, ending a three-year tenure marked by his high salary and unproductive play on the field.
Senior executive John Herrera told The Associated Press about the move and said that "we wish him well."
The decision came less than two weeks after Oakland acquired Jason Campbell from Washington to take over at quarterback and signifies that owner Al Davis finally lost patience with the immensely talented but unproductive player he drafted first overall in 2007 against the wishes of former coach Lane Kiffin.
Russell will now likely be considered one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history, joining Ryan Leaf, Ki-Jana Carter, Akili Smith and others on that list. He will have been paid more than $39 million by the Raiders, while producing only seven wins as a starter.
Russell showed up at last week's minicamp, saying he would keep coming to work until told otherwise. He looked decent in the first of five practices last weekend but got less work as the weekend went on and the decision to cut ties was finally made.
The Raiders paid Russell more than $36 million through last season. They still owe him $3 million more but saved $6.45 million by not having him on the roster in 2010.
Since the start of the common draft in 1967, only one other No. 1 pick was released this quickly in his NFL career. Indianapolis cut 1992 top pick Steve Emtman after three seasons but that was more because of injuries than production.
Emtman played three more seasons for Miami and Washington. It remains to be seen whether any team will give Russell another shot.
Davis believed Russell could turn the fortunes of his struggling franchise when he drafted him. He stood by him during his struggles, revealing when he fired Kiffin in 2008 that the coach did not want him.
"He is a great player. Get over it and coach this team on the field," Davis read from a letter he sent Kiffin before the firing. "That is what you were hired to do. We can win with this team."
But the Raiders were unable to win with Russell at the helm and Davis allowed Cable to bench Russell midway through last season. The move was popular in the locker room and gave the team a spark on the field as Bruce Gradkowski led comeback wins over Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
Davis was not satisfied with Gradkowski as his standard bearer and the Raiders were linked to possible offseason deals for Donovan McNabb and Ben Roethlisberger. While the Raiders downplayed how serious those talks ever got, they did make the move for another quarterback when they acquired Campbell from Washington for a 2012 fourth-round draft pick.
The team showed confidence in Campbell by extending his contract through 2011, giving him a $4.5 million deal that season on top of the $3.14 million he is owed this season.
Russell won only seven of his 25 starts as the Raiders extended an NFL-worst streak to seven straight seasons with at least 11 losses. He completed just 52.1 percent of his passes in his career with 18 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, 15 lost fumbles and a passer rating of 65.2.
That means Russell has been paid more than $5 million per win, more than $2 million per touchdown pass and more than $100,000 per completion.
While Russell's numbers are superior to Leaf's, he was paid considerably more money to do it and was picked first instead of second. Leaf's rookie contract guaranteed him only $11.25 million.
Russell's tenure in Oakland got off to a rough start and never got much better. He held out his first season, not signing a contract until after the first game of the regular season. That made his rookie season almost a complete loss, as he started only one game.
He showed some signs of progress in his second season, especially in winning the final two games of the year against Houston and Tampa Bay. But the problems of work ethic and his weight never disappeared and his third season was an utter disaster.
He was fined for being overweight when he showed up at training camp. He then put together one of the worst seasons in recent memory for an NFL quarterback. He completed 48.8 percent of his passes, with three touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 50.0 passer rating that was the lowest since Leaf, Bobby Hoying and Craig Whelihan all finished below 50 in 1998.
Yay more prison stripes. But pacman isn't a big deal because it's low risk he's going to get a small contract and if he does even the slightest thing to fuck up he's gone.
You tryin to be a hero fool? You wanna see badass mother fucker?! I'll show ya a badass!!!
In his first lengthy interview since filing a federal lawsuit against the team, former Saints security director Geoffrey Santini told USA Today that he only decided to resign and later sue the team after general manager Mickey Loomis tried to convince him to help cover up the theft of Vicodin from the team's headquarters.
"I was witnessing crimes, and I wasn't going to stand for that," Santini told the newspaper. "I did everything I could to save the people that were involved, but it just didn't go that way. Mickey didn't let it."
Loomis did not return a call to USA Today and hasn't responded publicly about Santini's lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed April 30, alleges one "senior staff member" was caught on video stealing the prescription pain killer Vicodin, while another was allowed to take a seemingly excessive amount of Vicodin from team supplies.
Santini told USA Today the "senior staff member" caught on video stealing Vicodin was Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt and the other staff member mentioned in the lawsuit is Saints head coach Sean Payton.
Santini's lawsuit does not implicate Payton in anything illegal. Santini resigned from his post with the Saints effective Aug. 29.
Santini said being ordered to either undertake or ignore activity he thought may be criminal was what led him to resign, and he is seeking damages and back pay.
The lawsuit contends Loomis asked Santini to find out who was stealing Vicodin, then tried to keep the matter quiet after Santini, a retired FBI agent, brought back the results of his investigation.
Saints spokesman Greg Bensel has denied the allegations against the club, portraying Santini as a disgruntled former employee trying to orchestrate a shakedown. Bensel has said the team will aggressively defend itself in court.
According to USA Today, the lawsuit alleges that team head trainer Scottie Patton said that Vitt had a medical condition requiring the use of Vicodin. Payton did not have a medical condition where the drug was prescribed, USA Today reported Patton saying, citing the lawsuit.
Santini told USA Today that he asked Loomis to come clean about the situation before they met with team owner Tom Benson. Benson had said that NFL security told him "that they didn't feel they were getting all the facts," Santini told USA Today.
"I begged Mickey Loomis. I said 'Now's the opportunity to tell him everything. We can get this out on the table so at least the owner is fully aware. He owns the team. He's the boss. And if we get him fully knowledgeable, then we're safe.' But Mickey didn't want to do that," Santini told the newspaper.
The lawsuit states that Loomis told Saints Benson that both Vitt and Payton were taking Vicodin for medical conditions, even though Patton had said that Payton didn't have a condition requiring the use of the prescription drug, USA Today reported.
"He was protecting Payton," Santini told USA Today. "That day pretty much ended it for me."
On Saturday, Payton stopped short of responding directly to the allegations in the lawsuit, saying now was not the right time to tell his side because civil litigation is pending.
"Certainly, we understand the questions surrounding it, but I'm really not at liberty to" answer them, Payton said. "As time goes forward, well know more and more. ... There just needs to be the correct steps. When you have a civil suit, those probably become more complicated. ... That's the thing that's challenging."
If proven, the theft of controlled substances and an attempted cover-up could represent violations of state and federal laws. Failing to report the alleged thefts could be a violation of federal law.
Santini gave evidence he collected to federal authorities before he resigned from the Saints last August and also kept his own copies of video and audio recordings that his lawyer, Donald Hyatt II, said backs up his civil case.
USA Today, citing the lawsuit, reported that Santini recorded conversations with Loomis, Patton and assistant trainer Kevin Mangum.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has told The Associated Press that it is aware of the allegations and that an investigation is pending. Jefferson Parish authorities, who would have jurisdiction over state crimes in Metairie, said they were not aware of the allegations until the lawsuit was filed April 30 and that they are not investigating at this time.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello has said the league is aware of Santini's lawsuit and is following developments, but has no further comment.
This coming from a lions fan. I'm sure pacman is more talented then anyone the lions have had in recent years.
Anyway it's a low risk move. Zimmer said he fucks up the slightest he is gone and if he doesn't do what is asked he is gone. I'm not a fan of pacman but I trust mike zimmer
You tryin to be a hero fool? You wanna see badass mother fucker?! I'll show ya a badass!!!
lol....coming from a bengals fan....we haven't had anyone any good in recent years....but phillip buchanan covers about as well as pac man and hes been on like 4 teams now.....fuck the man only averaged like 4 yards on punt returns....glad your happy to have another convict
At this point, all you can hope for is that he can do punt returns, which he also failed to do in Dallas. In fact the one impressive thing he did was catch 6 punts straight before dropping them all..
But like you said, its low risk so it doesn't matter what he does.
Comments
Senior executive John Herrera told The Associated Press about the move and said that "we wish him well."
The decision came less than two weeks after Oakland acquired Jason Campbell from Washington to take over at quarterback and signifies that owner Al Davis finally lost patience with the immensely talented but unproductive player he drafted first overall in 2007 against the wishes of former coach Lane Kiffin.
Russell will now likely be considered one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history, joining Ryan Leaf, Ki-Jana Carter, Akili Smith and others on that list. He will have been paid more than $39 million by the Raiders, while producing only seven wins as a starter.
Russell showed up at last week's minicamp, saying he would keep coming to work until told otherwise. He looked decent in the first of five practices last weekend but got less work as the weekend went on and the decision to cut ties was finally made.
The Raiders paid Russell more than $36 million through last season. They still owe him $3 million more but saved $6.45 million by not having him on the roster in 2010.
Since the start of the common draft in 1967, only one other No. 1 pick was released this quickly in his NFL career. Indianapolis cut 1992 top pick Steve Emtman after three seasons but that was more because of injuries than production.
Emtman played three more seasons for Miami and Washington. It remains to be seen whether any team will give Russell another shot.
Davis believed Russell could turn the fortunes of his struggling franchise when he drafted him. He stood by him during his struggles, revealing when he fired Kiffin in 2008 that the coach did not want him.
"He is a great player. Get over it and coach this team on the field," Davis read from a letter he sent Kiffin before the firing. "That is what you were hired to do. We can win with this team."
But the Raiders were unable to win with Russell at the helm and Davis allowed Cable to bench Russell midway through last season. The move was popular in the locker room and gave the team a spark on the field as Bruce Gradkowski led comeback wins over Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
Davis was not satisfied with Gradkowski as his standard bearer and the Raiders were linked to possible offseason deals for Donovan McNabb and Ben Roethlisberger. While the Raiders downplayed how serious those talks ever got, they did make the move for another quarterback when they acquired Campbell from Washington for a 2012 fourth-round draft pick.
The team showed confidence in Campbell by extending his contract through 2011, giving him a $4.5 million deal that season on top of the $3.14 million he is owed this season.
Russell won only seven of his 25 starts as the Raiders extended an NFL-worst streak to seven straight seasons with at least 11 losses. He completed just 52.1 percent of his passes in his career with 18 touchdowns, 23 interceptions, 15 lost fumbles and a passer rating of 65.2.
That means Russell has been paid more than $5 million per win, more than $2 million per touchdown pass and more than $100,000 per completion.
While Russell's numbers are superior to Leaf's, he was paid considerably more money to do it and was picked first instead of second. Leaf's rookie contract guaranteed him only $11.25 million.
Russell's tenure in Oakland got off to a rough start and never got much better. He held out his first season, not signing a contract until after the first game of the regular season. That made his rookie season almost a complete loss, as he started only one game.
He showed some signs of progress in his second season, especially in winning the final two games of the year against Houston and Tampa Bay. But the problems of work ethic and his weight never disappeared and his third season was an utter disaster.
He was fined for being overweight when he showed up at training camp. He then put together one of the worst seasons in recent memory for an NFL quarterback. He completed 48.8 percent of his passes, with three touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 50.0 passer rating that was the lowest since Leaf, Bobby Hoying and Craig Whelihan all finished below 50 in 1998.
No need for an article, we know where its going.
fuck the world
"I was witnessing crimes, and I wasn't going to stand for that," Santini told the newspaper. "I did everything I could to save the people that were involved, but it just didn't go that way. Mickey didn't let it."
Loomis did not return a call to USA Today and hasn't responded publicly about Santini's lawsuit.
The lawsuit, filed April 30, alleges one "senior staff member" was caught on video stealing the prescription pain killer Vicodin, while another was allowed to take a seemingly excessive amount of Vicodin from team supplies.
Santini told USA Today the "senior staff member" caught on video stealing Vicodin was Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt and the other staff member mentioned in the lawsuit is Saints head coach Sean Payton.
Santini's lawsuit does not implicate Payton in anything illegal. Santini resigned from his post with the Saints effective Aug. 29.
Santini said being ordered to either undertake or ignore activity he thought may be criminal was what led him to resign, and he is seeking damages and back pay.
The lawsuit contends Loomis asked Santini to find out who was stealing Vicodin, then tried to keep the matter quiet after Santini, a retired FBI agent, brought back the results of his investigation.
Saints spokesman Greg Bensel has denied the allegations against the club, portraying Santini as a disgruntled former employee trying to orchestrate a shakedown. Bensel has said the team will aggressively defend itself in court.
According to USA Today, the lawsuit alleges that team head trainer Scottie Patton said that Vitt had a medical condition requiring the use of Vicodin. Payton did not have a medical condition where the drug was prescribed, USA Today reported Patton saying, citing the lawsuit.
Santini told USA Today that he asked Loomis to come clean about the situation before they met with team owner Tom Benson. Benson had said that NFL security told him "that they didn't feel they were getting all the facts," Santini told USA Today.
"I begged Mickey Loomis. I said 'Now's the opportunity to tell him everything. We can get this out on the table so at least the owner is fully aware. He owns the team. He's the boss. And if we get him fully knowledgeable, then we're safe.' But Mickey didn't want to do that," Santini told the newspaper.
The lawsuit states that Loomis told Saints Benson that both Vitt and Payton were taking Vicodin for medical conditions, even though Patton had said that Payton didn't have a condition requiring the use of the prescription drug, USA Today reported.
"He was protecting Payton," Santini told USA Today. "That day pretty much ended it for me."
On Saturday, Payton stopped short of responding directly to the allegations in the lawsuit, saying now was not the right time to tell his side because civil litigation is pending.
"Certainly, we understand the questions surrounding it, but I'm really not at liberty to" answer them, Payton said. "As time goes forward, well know more and more. ... There just needs to be the correct steps. When you have a civil suit, those probably become more complicated. ... That's the thing that's challenging."
If proven, the theft of controlled substances and an attempted cover-up could represent violations of state and federal laws. Failing to report the alleged thefts could be a violation of federal law.
Santini gave evidence he collected to federal authorities before he resigned from the Saints last August and also kept his own copies of video and audio recordings that his lawyer, Donald Hyatt II, said backs up his civil case.
USA Today, citing the lawsuit, reported that Santini recorded conversations with Loomis, Patton and assistant trainer Kevin Mangum.
The Drug Enforcement Administration has told The Associated Press that it is aware of the allegations and that an investigation is pending. Jefferson Parish authorities, who would have jurisdiction over state crimes in Metairie, said they were not aware of the allegations until the lawsuit was filed April 30 and that they are not investigating at this time.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello has said the league is aware of Santini's lawsuit and is following developments, but has no further comment.
Anyway it's a low risk move. Zimmer said he fucks up the slightest he is gone and if he doesn't do what is asked he is gone. I'm not a fan of pacman but I trust mike zimmer
But like you said, its low risk so it doesn't matter what he does.
6-7 could be a stretch, but 10 is probably right.