Raiders claimed they did not owe JaMarcus Russell anything

The Oakland Raiders seem to be bothered by the burst of reports of how wrongly the team treated their former first overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell, and they were so bothered that they had to make an official statement to prove their innocence. The statement was made on Wednesday, a few days after Russell was arrested for possession of a controlled substance, two months after the team released him.

"We did all that we could to intervene and assist with a myriad of issues with JaMarcus Russell," the Raiders said in a statement. "NFL policy restricts our ability to comment publicly at this time. Therefore, those in the media who declare what the Raiders knew or should have known or what the Raiders did or should have done, are reckless, irresponsible and offensive, and do a disservice to all concerned, including the public."

Although being drafted as a first overall draft and expected to have a brilliant NFL career with a not-bad NFL team, Russell did not live up to people’s high expectation and was extremely unproductive during the past three years. Recently his former college coach blamed the Raiders for not using the young talented quarterback in the right way, and many people began to reconsider whether Russell was really a big draft pick bust. However, Russell disappointed them again the next day by being involved in legal trouble. Wearing a throwback version of Brett Favre jersey, Russell was found by a police hiding codeine syrup in his car on his way home. He is now free on bail but under observation. It’s still not sure whether the NFL will punish the jobless quarterback by suspending him for some games. If they do, it will even less chance for Russell to find a new job.