Russell case sent to grand jury
Former Oakland Raiders quarterback and number one overall pick JaMarcus Russell’s fate is now in the hands of a grand jury. Russell was arrested last month for possession of a controlled substance, codeine syrup. He was arrested at his home in Mobile, Alabama when found with the drug.
A sworn testimony had stated that the substance did not belong to Russell, but rather to a long-time friend. Despite the testimony, the judge left it up to the jury to decide.
District Judge Charles McKnight had questioned the legitimacy of the testimony given by Marcus Stevenson, who claimed he had made the drink found in Russell’s home. Police raided Russell’s home and found the orange-coloured drink on Russell’s night stand. Russell said it was Kool-Aid, but the drink tested positive for codeine syrup.
Mobile County Sheriff Johnny Thornton reported there were nine people in Russell’s home at the time of the discovery and another bottle of the syrup was found in a cabinet. The bottle was found far from Russell’s bedroom and Stevenson had told the police it was his bottle, but no action was taken against Stevenson and only Russell was arrested on 5 July.
Russell’s attorney, Donald Briskman commented on the hearing: "They didn't arrest him at the scene. They targeted JaMarcus. ... He should have been discharged today," Briskman said.
Stevenson testified at Russell’s hearing that he had mixed the drink and had not made it for Russell. He was arrested following the hearing for use of a controlled substance but was shortly released on bond.
Russell’s off-season has been nothing short of a nightmare. He was released by the Raiders in May and garnered no interest from NFL teams. His arrest may have cost him a chance to play in the league this year and some doubt that he’ll ever play in the NFL again. His Canadian Football League rights belong to the Hamilton Tiger Cats if he decides to play north of the border.
A decision from the grand jury will likely take months to determine if Russell will be indicted on charges. Meanwhile, the saga of the one of the biggest busts in NFL history continues to wind into obscurity.
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