JaMarcus Russell reveals the untold real story behind his NFL rookie holdout

JaMarcus Russell famously held out following being draft by the Oakland Raiders, beginning a tumultuous NFL career with a headline-grabbing saga.

However, there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the situation. Joining Ryan Clark and the crew on The Pivot Podcast, the former LSU star quarterback revealed the untold real story behind his rookie holdout.

“I was young. So much s*** bro. I held out. Bro, I ain’t held out bro,” started Russell. “Why would I hold out bro? I’m trying to play f***ing football, bro. Y’all tell me what y’all going to pay us. Then we, you know how it go bro. But guess what? This when the business s*** started coming. I started finding out about the business side of it. A TV check. Every team get a TV check. Three, four hundred million. So, my contract wasn’t being negotiated up until the first week of the season. That ain’t my fault. I done been at every mandatory minicamp. Every whatever. I ain’t miss a day. So, why would I miss a day now? They called us immediately. Gave us move money that they were supposed to give us in the beginning.

“Mario Williams, supposedly gave away seven million dollars so he could be the first pick. Everybody and their momma knew Reggie Bush was supposed to be the first pick of the draft bro. I didn’t know none of that. So, whatever his contract was he made, giving away the seven million, right? So, I’m coming up next year, they try to base my contract upon what he gave away with the seven million, not what he’s supposed to be getting with the seven million. What my agent said, ‘J-Rock, this is supposed to be this.’ Okay cool, that’s what is was supposed to be. But when they get their money for their TV check, they didn’t question nothing. They wrote us a check bro. And that was that.

“How would I know about some TV s***? I don’t know about nothing. I’m a rookie. I ain’t been in this game but the other day.”

Evidently, there was much more than met the eye when it came to the rookie holdout of JaMarcus Russell. Nevertheless, it set the standard for the disappointing NFL career the former LSU star would have.

JaMarcus Russell gives unusual response on being biggest NFL bust

Selected No. 1 overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 2007 NFL Draft, Russell was expected to lead the franchise into their next era of success. Instead, the quarterback was famously out of the league by the end of the 2009 season.

Joining Ryan Clark and the guys on The Pivot Podcast, Russell gave an unusual response when asked if he’s the biggest bust in NFL history.

“When you look at it that way, I say I must have been the best to be the biggest, right? I’ll say my s— didn’t turn out how I would have wanted it to, or not how they expected it to. But if you’re going to call me a bust like they say, put the biggest on that m———–, man. If you’re going to say it, put the biggest on that m———–. But that s— don’t bother me, man,” stated Russell. “Like, that s— is not in my world. In my world, I’m a m———–, you feel me? That b——- don’t happen, it don’t apply on my s—. It don’t apply to none of my family s—. It don’t apply to nothing that we have going on.

“Man, they can bust all they want. Like I tell them, I bust out and went to college. I bust out and bust some scenes out my s—. So, like it’s cool bro. Like, I’ve never really been the guy that really talks s—, but when I do it bro. S—, my homie right there, like come on bro. You know what’s happening bro. Like, this s— go deep bro. I’m still here bro. I just ain’t in the Instagram, and all that s—. I ain’t got nothing to show and tell.”

Evidently, Russell is embracing the moniker — he doesn’t just want to be a bust, he wants to be the bust. If people are going to say it anyways, he might as well get in on the fun.