ESPN aired a short film last night on JaMarcus Russell, the former Sugar Bowl MVP, turned overall number one draft pick, turned purple drank addict, turned fat man trying for a comeback. ESPN’s “JaMarcus Russell, Waking Up” tracks his progress so far.

Mark Sanchez is still the front-runner to land the New York Jets’ starting quarterback job. The two-year contract extension he received before last season has handcuffed the Jets options under center, shoving the same circus trio of Sanchez, McElroy and Tebow (if he’s not traded) out there to fill the position. Oh and don’t forget to add JaMarcus Russell to the mix too.

The Iowa caucuses happened last night, and ended with Mitt Romney pulling out a very close win. And the counting of votes made for a long night. So long, in fact, that a couple of the analysts started making football references they didn’t even think anyone would get.

SI released a big piece by Jon Wertheim on infamous NFL bust JaMarcus Russell today. The futility of Russell’s career is almost mythical at this point, but he’s also young enough that he shouldn’t be beyond possible redemption. So…is he?

It’s no secret that Michael Vick’s had his share of self-inflicted problems. And though the focus is mostly (and rightly) on how they’ve impacted his own career, Deion Sanders recently asked Vick about how they might impact other talented players in the future.

While you were sleeping, SportsGrid was up all night watching TV and searching the internet for links to help get your day started. Today, we bring you somewhat-LeBron-related notes from the Basketball Hall of Fame inductions, and more.

Former Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell is trying to rehabilitate his shattered image. The latest step in this is an interview with ESPN airing in full on August 22, but what little we’ve heard of the interview so far will only raise more questions.

At this point, it’s absolutely surreal that JaMarcus Russell was ever a #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. After playing and eating his way off the Oakland Raiders, he further tarnished his already-shattered image when he was arrested today for possession of a controlled substance.

Thanks to three dismal seasons with the Oakland Raiders since he was drafted in 2007, JaMarcus Russell is among the biggest busts of all time. A few weeks after releasing the disappointing QB, the Raiders have now filed grievances and want $10 million back.