"JaMarcus Russell, in a Sports Illustrated article, comes off as a likable chap, victim of the cruelty and insensitivity of fans and media.

I am quoted in the article, although not by name. My line: "Russell has become the poster dude for lethargy, a condition waiting to be clinically approved."

The SI author, the very enterprising (seriously) L. Jon Wertheim, writes that Russell's fall "has been accompanied by a level of glee that verges on the creepy." Also that Russell "has become a vessel for every disgruntled fan's bile."

I sang in that creepy glee club. Much of what I believe to be good in sports - character, teamwork, hard work, sacrifice, dedication, love of the game - was mocked by JaMarcus Russell. So I was gleeful when his open disdain for those things finally was rewarded by the Raiders when they cut him.

Russell got all the bile and creepy glee the old-fashioned way. He earned it.

Among items not included in the article: the time coaches suspected Russell was not studying the game-plan DVDs they gave him each week, so they sent him home with a blank DVD. The next day, they asked Russell what he thought of the game plan. He said it looked good to him.

I have not seen an athlete systematically undermine a team the way Russell did the Raiders. Much blame goes to Al Davis as enabler. But that doesn't excuse what Russell did."