Former storied Trojan quarterback Todd Marinovich had been clean for five plus years and working as a lecturer at a drug and treatment facility in Newport Beach. An ESPN 30- for-30 released in 2011 detailed the Quarterbacks life struggles with addictive drugs and his path to sobriety.
But on Monday the Marinovich story-book ending took a step backwards into the wrong direction, re-opening his own past after he was arrested after being found naked in the backyard of a neighbor’s house. Marinovich was in possession of marijuana, paraphernalia and a methamphetamine for controlled substance. He will also be cited for trespassing.
Todd Marinovich blew his shot at NFL Fame in the early 90’s. Debatable whether he possessed a true commitment to the sport, the unorthodox methods taught by his father weighed heavily on the embattled quarterback who began abusing drugs way back during his time at the prestigious Mater Dei high school.
Marinovich became the top recruited quarterback in the nation and was picked by USC, where he blew away NFL scouts with his ability to create plays out of nothing and throw a deep persistent ball with accuracy. It was also during this time that Marinovich started to abuse harder drugs such as crack cocaine and anti-depressants. However, the quarterback’s storied collegiate success and potential hall of fame skill were able to grant him a first round selection by the Oakland Raiders. During his NFL stardom, Marinovich achieved mild success in his first two years, even guiding his team to the postseason and subsequent entail of optimism for Raiders fans. But the California natives play suffered and Marinovich burned out of the league before 1992.
It is evident in this post-game interview, Marinovich’ prior use of a crack pipe from his crusting lips.
Marinovich is married with three children. Faced with many setbacks, the former quarterback may now have to overcome his biggest one yet.
