Former USC and Raiders quarterback Todd Marinovich pleaded guilty Tuesday to multiple misdemeanor charges but has a chance to avoid jail time.
Marinovich was arrested in August after he was found naked in another person's backyard in Irvine, Calif. According to the Orange County Register , police said Marinovich was carrying a brown bag with methamphetamine, marijuana, syringes, a marijuana pipe and his wallet.
The 47-year-old pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts including public nudity, drug possession and trespassing and received a stayed 90-day jail sentence. He will not have to spend time behind bars if he completes six months of outpatient rehab and three years' probation, his attorney Adam Cole told the Register. Cole said Marinovich already has spent time in rehab since his arrest.
“He’s positive and in good spirits, and he wants to be held accountable for what he did,” Cole told the Register. “He’s looking forward to his future.”
Marinovich was a record-setting California high school quarterback in the late 1980s and was profiled by Sports Illustrated as a teenager. His college career at USC got off to a strong start, as Sporting News named him its national Freshman of the Year in 1989, but quickly deteriorated after a rocky follow-up campaign. He was arrested for cocaine possession in January 1991 and entered that year's NFL Draft.
The then-Los Angeles Raiders selected him with the 24th overall pick, but he played in just one game as a rookie and seven the following year before flaming out of the NFL amid concerns about substance-abuse issues. He later played in the Canadian and Arena leagues.
Marinovich was arrested in August after he was found naked in another person's backyard in Irvine, Calif. According to the Orange County Register , police said Marinovich was carrying a brown bag with methamphetamine, marijuana, syringes, a marijuana pipe and his wallet.
The 47-year-old pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts including public nudity, drug possession and trespassing and received a stayed 90-day jail sentence. He will not have to spend time behind bars if he completes six months of outpatient rehab and three years' probation, his attorney Adam Cole told the Register. Cole said Marinovich already has spent time in rehab since his arrest.
“He’s positive and in good spirits, and he wants to be held accountable for what he did,” Cole told the Register. “He’s looking forward to his future.”
Marinovich was a record-setting California high school quarterback in the late 1980s and was profiled by Sports Illustrated as a teenager. His college career at USC got off to a strong start, as Sporting News named him its national Freshman of the Year in 1989, but quickly deteriorated after a rocky follow-up campaign. He was arrested for cocaine possession in January 1991 and entered that year's NFL Draft.
The then-Los Angeles Raiders selected him with the 24th overall pick, but he played in just one game as a rookie and seven the following year before flaming out of the NFL amid concerns about substance-abuse issues. He later played in the Canadian and Arena leagues.
