When you’re failing badly, the first thing you should look at is yourself. The Oakland Raiders’ former quarterback JaMarcus Russell(notes) has apparently not learned that life lesson yet. Russell is blaming his failed NFL career on everyone but himself.

JaMarcus Russell
Wikimedia Commonas

The only person who has any control of what happens in their life is that person. Russell was released by the Raiders over a year ago, after winning only seven of the 25 games he started in. But he blames Oakland’s former coach, Tom Cable, for betraying him and his Raiders’ teammates for a lack of support.

Russell also complained that he had to be there at 6:30 a.m. before practice and spend time on the treadmill. Afterwards, while the team watched film, Russell would fall asleep. He says he was later tested and discovered to have sleep apnea.

Is it any wonder that his teammates felt that their quarterback just didn’t care? When his coach asked him what he was doing at night he said he was, “just chilling.”

At the end of 2009 when Russell was benched after playing atrociously, he dug his own grave by saying he would refuse a pay cut to stay in Oakland. Russell finished the season with the lowest quarterback rating in the NFL. He also had the fewest passing yards, fewest touchdowns and lowest completion percentage.

In March of 2010, he allegedly arrived at the Raiders’ mini-camp weighing nearly 300 pounds. I suppose he is blaming Cable for that one too. Or maybe sleep apnea? Russell was released in May.

Russell says he is serious about getting back and playing in the NFL, but he won’t consider options that have been presented to him that would allow him to prove himself and rebuild his reputation, including the UFL and CFL.

Sounds like the 26-year-old needs to take a look in the mirror and see what he needs to change inside himself. He may need a complete attitude turnaround as well as medical intervention for his sleep apnea, or his most likely path will be one where Russell is soon forgotten, and any chance at a football career has completely faded away.

K.C. Dermody grew up in the Bay Area of California, and has been an Oakland Raiders fan from the time she could walk. She has continued her loyalty to the team through its many ups and downs over the decades, and has been privileged to meet several of her favorite players, including famed quarterback, Jim Plunkett .

More from this contributor:

Oakland Raiders Fan: A Look Back at the Last Three and the Next Three Scheduled Games

Oakland Raiders’ Hue Jackson Takes the Blame for Horrific Loss: Fan’s Look

Oakland Raiders fan: A win for Al against the Texans

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

John Lucas is no longer serving as JaMarcus Russell’s “life coach,” Yahoo! Sports reported Thursday.

Lucas and Russell, who was released by the Oakland Raiders in May, had been working together since September in an attempt to get the quarterback into shape to return to the NFL. But the 6-foot-6 Russell lost motivation after initially working hard, and Lucas tired of working with an unresponsive Russell, the website reported.

NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley — who, like Russell, is from Alabama — also tried to motivate the quarterback to no avail.

“The title of your article should be, ‘It’s Over,’” a source told Yahoo! Sports. “It’s just amazing that you could say that about somebody who is 25 years old and just got drafted four years ago. But it’s been almost a year since he got cut and there’s no interest. Even before the lockout, nobody wanted to get near the kid.”

That was evident in January, when, according to the website, Baltimore Ravens president Ozzie Newsome, who was in Mobile for the Senior Bowl, refused to meet with Russell, a Mobile native who was there at the time.

He also had two unimpressive workouts in November. Russell, whose playing weight was listed at 260, weighed 288 at a workout for the Washington Redskins on Nov. 2; two weeks later, he showed up for a workout with the Miami Dolphins weighing 292.

“It’s such a waste of talent,” a source told Yahoo! “It’s hard to believe a guy with that much ability could let it just waste. It’s sad. … It’s like they say, you can’t coach desire.”

Russell, the top overall draft pick in 2007, lost his starting job prior to his release and was arrested in July for possession of a controlled substance.

FOX Sports Exclusive

Updated Apr 14, 2011 4:03 PM ET

Former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who was selected first overall in the 2007 draft, no longer has former NBA player John Lucas working with him, according to a Yahoo! Sports report.

Lucas, who had been working with Russell as a “life coach” since last September, has aided troubled professional athletes over the years. The report attributed the split to Russell’s apparent lack of effort in getting in shape.

“The title of your article should be, ‘It’s Over,’ ” an unnamed source told the website. “It’s just amazing that you could say that about somebody who is 25 years old and just got drafted four years ago. But it’s been almost a year since he got cut and there’s no interest. Even before the lockout, nobody wanted to get near the kid.”

Russell, who was waived by the Raiders in May 2009, still has not signed with a team since his release.