Ive talked to people here in Mobile who knew and played with him in HS and most of them have told me Russell was extremely hard-headed, stubborn, beligerent and one of the few people who could actually "reason" with him or talk to him was his uncle, Ray-Ray Russell, who was also a popular local sports radio personality. After his uncle died, he didn't have that strong, formidable and determined force in his life to keep him focused and straight.