Todd Marinovich has added to his already sad story!
The former Los Angeles Raiders quarterback was reportedly arrested in Irvine Friday night. According to multiple reports, police found him naked in someone else’s backyard with drugs. The 47-year old had a brown paper bag containing marijuana, meth and his ID.
The bust came after cops received a call about a naked man on the Ventura Spur walking trail Friday night. The charges for Marinovich were trespassing, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.
Marinovich starred at USC before the Raiders made him their first-round draft pick in 1991. But drug problems drove him from the NFL after two seasons. Marinovich suited up in eight games for the Raiders, tossing eight touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The Raiders released him the following the 1992 season for repeated drug use. And ever since then, every time I hear about him it’s a run-in with the law over drugs. Sadly, drugs often lead to highly drafted players going bust in the NFL.
I hope 2007 first-round pick Jamarcus Russell is paying attention to Marinovich’s story. “Purple Drank”, a mixture of soda and cough syrup, ultimately made Russell a bust. Marinovich diligently dedicated himself to the sport of football all the way up to college.
On television, the showed all the workouts his father Marv (Marinovich) put him through. As a kid, Todd Marinovich trained like an NFL player and never touched candy while in high school. But once he was on his own, making his own money and decision It all changed.
It broke my heart when I was a youngster because I was one of many that thought he was the next Ken “the Snake” Stabler. Now, I would settle for him having a drug-free life.