Darrell Russell

Darrell Anthony Russell Jr. (May 27, 1976 – December 15, 2005) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He died in a car crash near Los Angeles after being indefinitely banned from the NFL for repeated violations of the league's substance abuse policy.

Early life Darrell Anthony Russell Jr. was born in Pensacola, Florida. Russell grew up in a rough part of San Diego just a few blocks from Lincoln Kennedy. Russell graduated from St. Augustine High School.

College career Russell attended the University of Southern California and, after a dominant 1996 season that featured 19 tackles for loss, was taken second overall in the 1997 NFL draft by Al Davis and the Raiders.

Professional career NFL predraft height ft = 6 height in = 4 5/8 weight = 321 dash = 4.80 shuttle = 4.26 cone drill = 7.65 vertical = 31.5 broad ft = 8 broad in = 0 bench = 25 arm span = 35 1/8 hand span = 10 1/2 note = Russell's seven-year, $22 million contract in 1997 was at the time the richest rookie contract ever signed in the NFL.

He went on to have 28.5 career sacks. After making the Pro Bowl in 1998 and 1999, averaging ten sacks per year, he was poised to have a dominant NFL career. However, the following season he failed a drug test, which his lawyer attributed to "second-hand smoke," and was later suspended for four games in 2001 for a second violation, this time for failing to be tested.

NFL statistics Year Team GP Tackles Fumbles Interceptions Comb Solo Ast Sack FF FR Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD 1997 OAK 16 43 34 9 3.5 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 6 1998 OAK 16 63 55 8 10.0 3 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 1999 OAK 16 43 32 11 9.5 0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 4 2000 OAK 16 33 24 9 3.0 1 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 7 2001 OAK 11 41 31 10 2.5 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 4 2002 OAK 0 Suspended 2003 WSH 8 6 3 3 0.0 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 Career 83 229 179 50 28.5 6 3 1 0 0.0 0 0 23

Acting career In 2002, he played as himself in an episode of The Jersey called "Coleman's Big Date" where at an Oakland Raiders football game, his date jumps into his body as Coleman Galloway (played by Jermaine Williams) jumps into a cheerleaders' body.

Personal He was accused in 2002 of videotaping the rape of a woman—who had been drugged with GHB—by two friends, but prosecutors dropped the charges. when it veered out of control, hitting several objects including a tree and a fire hydrant before hitting a parked bus. Both men were found unconscious and taken to area hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.