Article reads -------
Russell's suspension lifted after 13 months
NFL.com wire reports
NEW YORK (Aug. 26, 2005) -- Troubled defensive tackle Darrell Russell had his suspension lifted by the NFL this week and is free to sign with any team.
Russell was suspended indefinitely in July 2004 after testing positive for drugs. The second overall pick in the 1997 draft was eligible to apply for reinstatement after eight games last season if he was signed by a team, but drew no offers.
League spokesman Steve Alic said that Russell now is eligible to play.
Russell's last team was Tampa Bay. Before that, he played for Bucs coach Jon Gruden in Oakland, then was with the Redskins.
Previously, Russell failed a drug test and sat out the first four games of the 2001 season, then was suspended by the NFL for a second violation of the league's substance abuse policy.
That suspension was extended by three months because commissioner Paul Tagliabue wasn't satisfied with his off-field behavior during that period. In 2002, Russell was charged as an accomplice in a ****** assault case against two friends, but prosecutors dropped the charges.
The 6-foot-5, 325-pound tackle played in the Pro Bowl in 1998 and 1999.
He's a big fella, alright - but dang, that's a lot of issues that could flare up at any time.