RUSSELL SAYS SUSPENSION RESULT OF SPIKED DRINK

Raider Says He Was Set UP: 'I Didn't Make A Mistake'

Raiders defensive tackle Darrell Russell, a three-time loser in the NFL's
drug program, said Monday that -- like his first two violations -- the
third one wasn't his fault.

Speaking on Fox Sports Net's "The Last Word with Jim Rome," Russell said
his positive test for the drug "ecstasy" occurred because someone spiked
his drink at a club. He said he found the culprit and brought him to the
NFL, but the league didn't care. The NFL suspended Russell for a year Jan. 2.

"Is anyone going to believe me? No," Russell said in his first public
comments on the matter.

"The fact is I was suspended for a year. The fact is I've already had
problems with the drug policy. Is anyone going to believe me? I really
don't care if anyone believes me because I know the truth. As long as I
know the truth, I'm not going to sit here and go around apologizing and act
like I made some big mistake. I didn't make a mistake."

Russell, 25, told Rome he has never taken drugs. He has made the same
statement repeatedly since August, when he was suspended for the first four
games this season; he said that was for a missed test when league officials
showed up unannounced. His first violation, he said, was for secondhand
marijuana smoke.

Russell told Rome that after he was suspended, the Raiders' reaction was
"No. 96 will be here. No one will wear my number, and my number will be
waiting for me when I get back."