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Darrell Russell (American football)

Darrell Russell
refer to caption
Darrell Russell while with the Oakland Raiders.
No. 96
Position: Defensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: (1976-05-27)May 27, 1976
Place of birth: Pensacola, Florida
Date of death: December 15, 2005(2005-12-15) (aged 29)
Place of death: Los Angeles, California
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight: 325 lb (147 kg)
Career information
High school: San Diego (CA) St. Augustine
College: Southern California
NFL Draft: 1997 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles: 184
Sacks: 28.5
Interceptions: 3
Player stats at NFL.com
Tackles: 184
Sacks: 28.5
Interceptions: 3
Player stats at NFL.com

Darrell Anthony Russell, Jr. (May 27, 1976 – December 15, 2005) was an American football defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins of the National Football League. 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.

Darrell Anthony Russell, Jr. was born in Pensacola, Florida. His mother, Eleanor Russell, divorced in 1986 from Darrell Anthony Russell Sr. when their only child was nine years old, and moved from Florida to Southern California. Russell grew up in a rough part of San Diego just a few blocks from Lincoln Kennedy. Russell graduated from St. Augustine High School.

Russell attended the University of Southern California and was taken second overall in the 1997 NFL Draft by the Raiders. At 6-foot-5-inch (196 cm), 320-pounds Russell ran the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds.

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, Russell was suspended four games in 2001 for failing to comply with the NFL's drug policy. Shortly after that, he tested positive for another banned substance and was given a one-year suspension that later was made indefinite by the league.

Russell's positive drug test in 2004 was his seventh infraction of the league's policy. Russell missed 1½ years while serving two league suspensions before he played in eight games in 2003 for the Washington Redskins. His last NFL experience was in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp in 2004.


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