[Previous entry: "Tell Me They Didn't Need A Calculator To Figure This Out ..."] [Next entry: "Not The Way They Planned It"]

08/29/2007: "Dumb and Dumber"

With all the attention paid to the pet parenting skills of one-time Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick, it's easy to forget he's not the first big quarterback to flame out. Sure, there've been lots of college guys who simply couldn't hack it at the pro level, and Ryan Leaf, who had the physical skills but not the brain. But to find someone who pulled the pin on their own career as completely as Vick you have to go back to a name that we in SoCal remember well - and aren't allowed to forget: Todd Marinovich.

If ever a child was bred to the position, it was Marinovich. His father, an assistant coach at USC, famously forbad his child from watching cartoons or eating junk food, all to better his potential as a player. At Southern Cal, he showed the promise of his father's efforts, engineering miraculous comebacks and game winning drives. When the Los Angeles Raiders selected him with their first round pick in 1991, you thought Todd would shine on the next level stage.

Or not.

To say that Marinovich "rebelled" once he was out of his father's influence would be a gross understatement. With the Raiders, he discovered all the vices he'd been shielded from and was soon fat and stoned - earning the title "Marijuanovich" from the local media. Soon enough, he's flamed out of the NFL and CFL, and the inevitable police problems began. The last time we saw Todd it was during a seemingly successful career resurgence as the leader of the LA Avengers of the Arena Football League - only to see him led off the field in handcuffs for yet another drug bust.

Marinovich, now 38, spends his time skateboarding in Newport Beach these days, and that's where he had his latest scrape with the law. Told by police he couldn't skate at the Newport Pier boardwalk around 1AM Sunday morning, Marinovich ran and was chased down by the officers, who found methamphetamine, a steel spoon and a needle in his pocket. He's back in jail, waiting for someone to post his bail.

Vick has the chance to redeem himself, personally if not professionally, and would be well-advised to look to examples like this for guidance on how not to do it.