Two former NFL players were killed in a high-speed car crash in Los Angeles Thursday morning according to local police.
The passenger in the car was identified as Darrell Russell, 29. According to police Lieutenant Paul Vernon, Russell was a passenger in a car that went out of control and hit a curb, a tree, a newsstand, a fire hydrant, light pole, a second tree and an unoccupied transit bus before finally coming to a stop. The driver has yet to be identified but was believed to also be a former NFL player.
Both Russell and the driver of the car were unconscious when authorities arrived. It took firefighters at least 25 minutes to pry the two men from the wreckage of the car. Russell was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center while the driver died at UCLA Medical Center according to police.
Russell played college football for Southern California before the Raiders made him the second overall pick in the 1997 NFL draft. He played for the Raiders for 5 1/2 seasons and made two Pro Bowls before substance abuse problems hurt a once promising career. The NFL suspended Russell three times for violating the league's substance abuse program. In addition to playing with the Raiders, the 6'5' 325 pound Russell also played for the Redskins and Buccaneers.
Former teammates were shocked. 'It's tragic,' Raiders safety Calvin Branch told the Associated Press. 'It's crazy when young people see an untimely death like that. It's so sad.'
Branch also remarked how Russell had seemingly turned his life around. The former defensive lineman spoke to NFL rookies about substance abuse and urged them to avoid the problems that prematurely ended his career.
'He was trying to teach people that, 'I am a prime example of what not to do in certain situations,'' Branch said.
Russell tested positive for the drug Ecstasy one of the times he failed the NFL's drug test. It is not known if drugs or alcohol were involved in Thursday morning's crash but authorities indicated they believed the driver was involved in a high speed race. It's a race that cost Russell and the driver their lives.
