Former NFL quarterback JaMarcus Russell is embroiled in a lawsuit over a $74,000 verify meant to operate as a donation to his alma mater, Williamson Excessive Faculty in Alabama.
Final 12 months Navigator Credit score Union sued Russell, the No. 1 choose within the 2007 NFL draft, in Cellular County Circuit Courtroom alleging it lent him about $55,000 as a part of him depositing the verify. A number of months in the past, Russell turned a third-party plaintiff in the identical litigation by suing Christopher Knowles and his enterprise, Selwonk Enterprises, for $74,000 plus curiosity and punitive damages. Russell claims Knowles—who wrote the verify—“stopped cost on the verify inflicting [Russell] substantial losses.” As Russell tells it, Knowles is answerable for making “false representations” as a part of his transfer to cease cost.
Knowles provided a really completely different account when he spoke with WKRG in Cellular. Knowles stated he wrote the verify on the urging of Russell, who allegedly satisfied Knowles the Williamson Excessive soccer staff wanted new weight-room gear. Knowles later turned involved when he discovered no file the donation had been made. Russell allegedly refused to offer corroborating documentation and stopped returning Knowles’ cellphone calls when pressed to offer a receipt or different proof.
In the meantime, Williamson Excessive relieved Russell of his duties as a volunteer assistant soccer coach final fall. The varsity has declined to elucidate the explanation, however has gone as far as to disallow Russell to “be across the soccer or on faculty campus.” WKRG studies Williamson Excessive hasn’t seen any proceeds from the meant donation. A trial is scheduled for this October.
Russell, 38, performed for the Raiders from 2007 to 2009. The Raiders signed the previous LSU star to a six-year, $61 million contract, with $32 million assured. Russell struggled over 31 video games, throughout which he recorded a meager 52% cross completion share together with 23 interceptions and simply 18 landing passes. When the NFL and NFLPA collectively bargained for a rookie wage scale in 2011 to restrict rookie contracts, some dubbed it the “JaMarcus Russell rule.”