JaMarcus Russell has been fired from coaching at his alma mater after being accused of stealing money from the high school. Russell was a volunteer assistant coach at Williamson High School in Mobile, Alabama before being let go in the middle of the 2023 season, according to WKRG.
“JaMarcus Russell was relieved of his volunteer coaching duties at Williamson High School during the fall of last year,” Mobile County Public Schools officials told the local outlet.
Russell joined the staff in 2018. The school district didn’t specify to local media outlets why Russell was fired. The school system also could not confirm or deny if a lawsuit against Russell is what led to the decision. The lawsuit Russell is facing accuses him of depositing a $74,000 check in July 2022. Chris Knowles wrote the check, and told local reporter Simone Eli the money was a donation to the football program on behalf of his company, Selwonk Enterprises. People close to the Williamson football program said they never saw any of the money.
Knowles, a lifelong LSU fan, said Russell approached him in the summer of 2022 asking for a program donation to help the football program purchase weight-room equipment. After Knowles wrote the $74,000 check to Russell, Knowles said he stopped payment once Russell wouldn’t provide a receipt of the donation and quit returning his phone calls. Russell is being sued by Navigator Credit Union, where he deposited the check, for the near $55,000 paid to him. The lawsuit was filed in March 2023.
Russell has filed a counterclaim where he admitted to depositing the check but claimed he did no wrongdoing.
The news of Russell’s firing and lawsuit came to light after it was rumored Russell was around the team for an off-campus event. Russell is not allowed to be with the Williamson football team or on campus.
Russell was a star quarterback at Williamson before becoming the star quarterback at LSU from 2003-07. He was the No. 1 pick of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, but only lasted three seasons in the league. As a professional, he quickly earned the reputation of being an out-of-shape diva who wasn’t very good at football. He was considered the biggest bust in the league’s history.
In a 2022 interview with “The Pivot Podcast,” Russell said he hasn’t needed any financial help since being out of the NFL.
“I ain’t want for anything,” Russell said. “And I haven’t for a long time. It’s going to stay that way. I might’ve played three years, but those three years are going to cover a lifetime and more.”
