I briefly considered working a pun into the title, but the name "JaMarcus Russell" really works well on its own, don't you think? The man has worked harder in four years to destroy a potentially amazing career than most ten-year players do to try and maximize it. Russell's career is best summarized in the immortal words of a young scholar by the name of Christopher George Latore Wallace, in a scripture titled "Dead Wrong" (co-authored by fellow scholars Marshall Mathers and Sean Combs) in which he intoned "I just want the paper."
So it really shouldn't come as any surprise as Yahoo Sports' Jason Cole recently broke the news that Russell's life coach, a guy he hired, cannot work with him any longer and fired him. John Lucas is the guy, and he's been in the business for a long time, helping athletes with all sorts of problems. According to Cole, Russell had hired Lucas in September in hopes of getting in playing shape for the 2011 season ... well, that's out the door, as sources have told Cole that Russell was just too hard to work with and did not display even a modicum of effort to better himself.
It's been a long and tumultuous road for the former first overall pick by the Oakland Raiders, but it's finally looking like his career in the NFL is done for, which is a shame to say when you're only twenty-five years old. Fired by John Lucas, unresponsive to Charles Barkley, a lost cause to Ozzie Newsome, president of the Baltimore Ravens, and barely coming in at under 300 pounds for a professional workout with the Miami Dolphins and Washington Redskins - that's almost impressive, honestly.
Russell possesses an almost inhuman ability to shoot himself in the foot. His superhuman propensity for not trying is almost something to be admired for its dedication to nothingness. The NFL is collectively washing its hands of his tenure, and with good reason.