In a story that could very well have originated at the Onion, but most assuredly did not, Todd Marinovich will play football again.
According to the Palm Springs Desert Sun, the one-time USC Trojan-turned-Raider, who washed out of the NFL and then fell into a life of drug addiction, has decided to play ball again at the age of 48 for the SoCal Coyotes of the developmental league.
Marinovich began his career with the Coyotes, inauspiciously enough, after his last arrest, an event precipitated by Marinovich wandering onto someone else’s property, naked, in a drug-induced stupor. Marinovich became the team’s quarterback coach and then, eventually opted to try and become the quarterback.
Marinovich‘s father, Marv, intensely conditioned him for a career as a quarterback in the NFL, resorting to Eastern Bloc training methods to exact peak physical and mental performance from Todd. Not long after that, Marinovich began rebelling against his father by doing drugs.
Now, nearly a year removed from his latest arrest, Marinovich claims to be clean and ready to start over. This time, under divine guidance. Speaking of his recovery and his future at a press conference in Indian Wells, California, Marinovich says, “I can’t really take credit for anything. The only thing that I was given was the gift of desperation, which it takes to get started.
“And I am a work in progress. God works in ways that I never really saw until I moved to the desert. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I just knew I needed help and that I couldn’t do it alone.”
No one should care about what Marinovich does on the football field. Sure, it would be great if he has some success. But Marinovich’s true success will be staying sober and getting his life turned around. What a tremendous story of redemption and recovery it would make.
Hopefully he will.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter: @themightygwinn
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