JaMarcus Russell facing lawsuit over $74K donation to high school alma mater

Former No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft JaMarcus Russell is facing a lawsuit over a $74,000 check that was intended to be a donation for Williamson High School (Mobile, Alabama), according to a report from Simone Eli of WKRG Sports. Russell joined the Williamson football coaching staff in 2018, but was removed as a volunteer coach in the middle of last year.

“JaMarcus Russell was relieved of his volunteer coaching duties at Williamson High School during the fall of last year,” Mobile County Public School officials told WKRG Sports.

A business owner in Mobile, Chris Knowles, wrote Russell the $74,000 check after the former football star approached him about a donation for the Williamson football team buying equipment for their weight room. The school allegedly never received the check, and Russell reportedly deposited it in a credit union, quickly withdrawing $55,000 of it.

Russell is well known as one of the biggest busts in NFL history. The former No. 1 overall selection lasted just three seasons with the Oakland Raiders, before flaming out. During those three years, he completed 52.1 percent of his passes for 4,803 total passing yards, while tossing in 18 touchdowns with 23 interceptions. As a runner, he had 40 rushing attempts for 175 yards and one touchdown.

His college football career with LSU was very good, especially his final season with the Tigers. Russell posted the best numbers of his college career in 2006, when he completed 67.8% of his passes for 3,129 yards, while tossing in 28 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Once the season was over, he earned first team All-SEC honors from both the Associated Press and SEC coaches. In the Allstate Sugar Bowl, he racked up over 350 yards of rushing and passing yards, scoring three touchdowns. Russell helped guide LSU to a 41-14 thrashing over Notre Dame, bringing home Sugar Bowl MVP honors in the process.

In 2005, he continued to improve, completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 2,443 yards, while tossing in 15 touchdowns with nine interceptions. And in 2004 with the Tigers, he completed 50.7 percent of his passes for 1,053 yards, while tossing in nine touchdowns and four interceptions.

JaMarcus Russell was dominant in high school

As a high school prospect for Williamson (Mobile, Alabama), JaMarcus Russell firmly cemented himself as one of the best players in Alabama high school history. He earned a four-star rating from Rivals.com and a five-star rating from Scout.com. He was also ranked among the Top 100 overall prospects in America in the 2003 cycle.

His best season was his senior year, completing 219 of his 372 passes for 3,332 passing yards, while tossing in 22 touchdowns. As a runner, he rushed for over 400 yards and five touchdowns. That helped to earn Russell Parade All-American honorable mention honors. Once the dust had settled on his prolific high school career, he had thrown for 10,774 career passing yards, shattering the Alabama High School Athletic Association record. A dynamic athlete, he also played basketball and threw the javelin in track and field.