Former No. 1 NFL draft pick JaMarcus Russell has been removed from the coaching staff of the high school he attended in Mobile, Alabama, and faces a lawsuit accusing him of taking money intended as a donation to the school.
“JaMarcus Russell was relieved from his volunteer coaching duties at Williamson High School during the fall of last year,” Mobile County Public Schools officials told WKRG Sports.
Russell also faces a lawsuit alleging he took a $74,000 check intended for a donation to the school and kept the money. Chris Knowles, a local business owner who wrote the check, says Russell approached him for a donation to help the Williamson High School football team purchase weight room equipment, and Knowles gave Russell donation by check. But the school allegedly never received any of that money, and Russell allegedly deposited it in a credit union and quickly withdrew $55,000 of that money.
Russell was a star football player at Williamson High School before going to college at LSU, but the school says he is no longer welcome. When Russell attended a football team event this week, the district made it clear to him that he should not be there.
“Earlier this week, Mr. Russell was told again that he is not allowed to be near the football program or on the school campus,” the school district said in a statement to WKRG.
Russell, 38, was the first overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft. He started 25 games for the Raiders over three seasons and finished his NFL career with a 52.1 percent completion rate, 18 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.