Biggest draft bust ever is busted

Speaking of messing up one’s life, I give you JaMarcus Russell.

The former No. 1 overall NFL draft pick — whose perceived lack of effort helped him fail miserably as Oakland’s quarterback, leading to his outright release — was getting a look from the New York Jets as a possible backup.

He was, that is, until he was arrested for alleged possession of codeine syrup, the key and illegal ingredient in a concoction called “purple drank,” reportedly growing in popularity in the South, where Russell is from.

If that sounds like a “so-what” offense, an ESPN Outside the Lines episode quoted a Houston police officer as saying that purple drank can be a harder addiction to break than marijuana, cocaine or heroin.

Russell’s next step? Hard to say, but there’s little reason to believe it will be in an upward direction.