JaMarcus Russell, one of the most highly profiled failures in the history of professional sports, has shown new levels of ineptitude.
Russell was fired by his life coach, according to Yahoo! Sports, after he failed to respond to instruction and assistance. The coach was John Lucas, a former NBA star who publicly battled drug and alcohol addiction in the 1980s and has spent years working with athletes who have struggled with similar issues, but Lucas could no longer deal with Russell.
"The title of your article should be, 'It's Over,'" a source told Yahoo! about Russell. "It's just amazing that you could say that about somebody who is 25 years old and just got drafted four years ago. But it's been almost a year since he got cut, and there's no interest. Even before the lockout, nobody wanted to get near the kid."
The Raiders drafted Russell with the No. 1 pick in 2007, and the former LSU quarterback was named NESN.com's biggest draft bust in NFL history this week. Oakland released Russell prior to the 2010 season, and he hasn't signed with a team since.
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has also tried to motivate Russell, according to Yahoo's report. Barkley felt a connection to Russell since the two are from Alabama.
Baltimore Ravens president Ozzie Newsome, a Hall of Fame player and heavily respected executive who is also from Alabama, refused a request to meet with Russell, according to the report. This happened in late January when both Newsome and Russell were in the Mobile, Ala. area during the Senior Bowl.
"It's such a waste of talent," the source told Yahoo! "It’s hard to believe a guy with that much ability could let it just waste. It's sad. … It's like they say, you can't coach desire."
