JaMarcus Russell Explains How He Learned to Love Football Again

Russell: “[Kids] don’t look at me like a bust. They look at me like a miracle.”

When JaMarcus Russell graced the field at Tiger Stadium on Saturdays at LSU, he was a star. In his three seasons in Baton Rouge, Russell tossed 52 touchdowns that included 28 in his junior season.

The Mobile, Ala., native planned for his college success to translate over into the NFL when the Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders drafted him No. 1 in the 2007 NFL draft. But his NFL dreams were limited to three subpar seasons and many to this day refer to him as the biggest draft bust in NFL history.

The former NFL quarterback wrote in an article for The Players’ Tribune on Tuesday detailing his journey after the NFL. Russell noted how he found love for the game again by coaching kids at the same parks he played in growing up as a kid.

After the Raiders released Russell in May 2010, he lost himself but eventually found his way with coaching because they had a similar mindset to what he had growing up. “It’s funny man. These kids… they just wanna know, how do I get some money?” Russell wrote.

Like the kids, Russell wanted to provide for his family as well. 

“They [the kids] don’t look at me like a bust,” Russell wrote. “They look at me like a miracle. … I went No. 1. I got paper. I had coaches coming down here, eating my grandma’s cooking. I changed my family’s circumstances forever.”

In the story, Russell also admitted to his shortage of discipline in his first two years as he was “still learning to be a professional.” But the former NFL signal caller said losing his two uncles in a three-month span in July before the start of the 2009 season was his breaking point.

“My heart was hurting so damn bad. ... I love football with all the life I ever breathed, but at that point, I was lost,” Russell wrote. “I’m not trying to be out there running no gotdamn 40s. … lift weights. I’m trying to pour up and forget everything.”

Russell was “staying up late” and “getting tattoos” instead of learning the playbook and watching film. While he would do everything “10 times differently today” if he could, Russell said his three years “cover a lifetime” of success for him.

“I ain’t no failure,” Russell wrote. “I’m a king.”