Former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell reportedly would lie about watching blank film tapes.
Bleacher Report reported the following:
The Oakland Raiders took some extreme measures to prove that JaMarcus Russell wasn’t doing everything in his power to be a good NFL player.
Appearing on New York’s WFAN (h/t Andrew Marchand of the New York Post), former offensive lineman David Diehl said Raiders coaches used to give Russell blank tapes to determine if he was studying film.
Diehl noted Russell would come into the Raiders’ facilities the day after receiving the tapes saying that he watched the blitz packages.
This is without a doubt one of the funniest stories we’ve had come out of the NFL in a very long time. You know your team really doesn’t believe in you at all if they’re sending you home with blank tapes. That in and of itself is unbelievable. It’s such an insult. (RELATED: Infamous NFL Draft Bust Once Pulled Off A Shocking Stunt During A Team Meeting)
Now, it only gets substantially worse when you add in the fact Russell just lied about it like it was no big deal. Imagine how enraged his coaches must have been when he came in and said with straight face he was watching blitz packages.
It’s not a surprise at all Russell was out of the league in only a few seasons. The man was absolute trash on the field in the NFL. He once offered to even play for free for another shot. Trust me, even that’s not worth it for a general manager.
JaMarcus Russell is truly the NFL gift that just keeps on giving, despite the fact he hasn’t played in years.