The news of JaMarcus Russell’s arrest may have come as a surprise to many of us, but not to one key member of the Oakland Raiders press corps.
According to Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group, rumors of Russell’s affection for codeine syrup (aka Purple Drank) had been around for some time.
“Wish I had a dollar for every time I got an e-mail or a tip about Russell and prescription cough syrup,” McDonald posted on Twitter.
Despite the tips, he did not write anything on the allegations because there was no proof.
“Can’t touch the Russell-cough syrup issue until there’s some kind of documentation,” he told the tipsters.
And now that he has been arrested, we can all speculate.
Perhaps it was the prescription drug that caused his NFL career to flounder. Perhaps this is the tipping point that will finally get him headed back in the right direction. Or perhaps this is the end of his pro football career. Maybe not even the Omaha Nighthawks in the UFL will touch him now.
