50 Most-Infamous Athlete Mugshots: Raiders’ QB JaMarcus Russell Arrested For Possession Of Codeine Syrup In ’10

On July 5, 2010, former NFL quarterback JaMarcus Russell was arrested and charged with illegal drug possession.

Russell had possession of codeine syrup, which was discovered in a two-month undercover narcotics investigation. He was released shortly after he was arrested and booked on a $2,500 bond.

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Russell pleaded not guilty to his charge. One big selling point for Russell’s attorney was that around 10 others were at the home when the codeine syrup was discovered.

A grand jury declined to indict Russell, which resulted in his charge getting dropped.

Russell attended Louisiana State University, where he won the Manning Award in 2006, was a First-Team All-SEC selection, and was the MVP of the Sugar Bowl in 2006. He also won a National Championship in 2003, but he redshirted that season.

He entered the 2007 NFL Draft and was selected first overall by the Oakland Raiders. Russell only played three seasons in the NFL due to poor efficiency, work ethic concerns and weight issues.

One well-known incident from his career was when the Raiders’ coaching staff didn’t believe Russell was watching film, so they gave him a blank DVD as a test. He told the coaching staff that he watched the film they provided, which was impossible.

Oakland eventually lost trust in Russell, which led to his release in May 2010.