Ex-Raider Darrell Russell is killed in a car crash: "Russell -- whose seven-year, $22 million contract in 1997 was the richest rookie contract ever signed in the NFL -- was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Friends and former teammates of the 6-foot-5, 325-pound Russell -- a Pro Bowl defensive tackle in 1998-99 who missed 1-1/2 years while serving two NFL-mandated suspensions before playing eight games in 2003 for the Redskins -- were stunned and saddened by the news.
Former Raiders offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy, who grew up blocks away from Russell in San Diego and bonded with the likeable, childlike player who gravitated toward thugs and trouble, was in tears as he recalled a tormented friend he could never really reach.
'Darrell was a good guy, he really was. This is so tough for me,'' said the sobbing Kennedy, who played five seasons with Russell, who police say resided in Santa Monica. 'You have regrets in life and things you wish you had done. I wish I could have helped him more.
'He and I were close -- we grew up near each other, we had a similar background. But I had to leave him alone, because he couldn't let his friends in San Diego alone. I tried to help him but I couldn't let him drag me and what I was trying to accomplish down to where he was headed.
'He was a big kid like me that had a big heart,'' said Kennedy, who retired from the NFL after the 2004 season and now works as an analyst for the NFL Network. 'He couldn't say no to anybody. ... He couldn't let his friends go, from San Diego. He couldn't let his past go. He always wanted to try to take care and do for other people. It ended up bringing him down.' "
Friends and former teammates of the 6-foot-5, 325-pound Russell -- a Pro Bowl defensive tackle in 1998-99 who missed 1-1/2 years while serving two NFL-mandated suspensions before playing eight games in 2003 for the Redskins -- were stunned and saddened by the news.
Former Raiders offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy, who grew up blocks away from Russell in San Diego and bonded with the likeable, childlike player who gravitated toward thugs and trouble, was in tears as he recalled a tormented friend he could never really reach.
'Darrell was a good guy, he really was. This is so tough for me,'' said the sobbing Kennedy, who played five seasons with Russell, who police say resided in Santa Monica. 'You have regrets in life and things you wish you had done. I wish I could have helped him more.
'He and I were close -- we grew up near each other, we had a similar background. But I had to leave him alone, because he couldn't let his friends in San Diego alone. I tried to help him but I couldn't let him drag me and what I was trying to accomplish down to where he was headed.
'He was a big kid like me that had a big heart,'' said Kennedy, who retired from the NFL after the 2004 season and now works as an analyst for the NFL Network. 'He couldn't say no to anybody. ... He couldn't let his friends go, from San Diego. He couldn't let his past go. He always wanted to try to take care and do for other people. It ended up bringing him down.' "
