JaMarcus Russell's Friend Handcuffed In Court

A long-time friend of former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell was handcuffed outside a Mobile County courtroom after he claimed the illegal codeine cough syrup found in Russell's home belonged to him.

At the start of the testimony, Marcus Stevenson's attorney told the judge his client would not be claiming ownership of the codeine and said Stevenson is aware of his fifth amendment right.

During several minutes of testimony, Stevenson told the judge he knew who the illegal substance belonged to but testified it was not Russell’s.

Stevenson, when questioned by prosecutors, said he and Russell had partied at clubs the night before and returned home around 7:00 am on July 5th. "We were still hanging out," said Stevenson, who told the judge that Russell took a woman to his bedroom when he went to sleep in the early hours of the morning. The woman was gone before police arrived that afternoon, according to the testimony.

Prosecutors then asked Stevenson who had the Styrofoam cup containing an orange liquid, which investigators say included codeine cough syrup. Stevenson answered "myself," setting off a furry of objections from his attorney.

Judge Charles McKnight scolded Stevenson's attorney, Greg Evans, saying "I'm a little put out." Mcknight then told Stevenson his open-court confession means he has waived his right to remain silent.

McKnight then ordered Stevenson to continue answering the prosecutor's questions despite more objections from Evans.

The testimony continued with Stevenson explaining how he mixed the codeine with "drank," creating an orange liquid, but Stevenson denied making the mixture for Russell.

According to investigators, when police searched Russell’s home July 5th, the quarterback told police Styrofoam cup containing the orange liquid, which he claimed was kool-aid, was his.

Russell, who played football at Williamson High School LSU before he was drafted number one overall by Oakland in the 2007 NFL draft, pleaded not guilty last month to one count of possession of a controlled substance.

Today, Judge McKnight sent Russell's case to a Grand Jury in spite of Stevenson's testimony, saying there is a "credibility question."

Stevenson, whose attorney denies the open-court confession was planned, was arrested after the hearing. Stevenson is also charged with possession of a controlled substance.