Todd Marinovich Proves There Is Way Up from Rock Bottom

Todd Marinovich has found a calling after living a lifestyle that easily could have killed him. While it is his downfall that has earned the most press, it is his rise from the ashes, shown in ESPN Films' "The Marinovich Project," that is truly inspirational.

Back story

Marinovich was a prized quarterback recruit that landed at USC. That was just one step in progression he was bred for.

He was termed the "Robo QB" in high school, and that was largely due to the way his father raised him. It was during Todd's rise as a superstar high school QB that his father, Marv, was cast into the spotlight during this process as well.

Sports Illustrated published an article detailing his dad's quest to create the perfect quarterback. Marv devoted his life to making his son to be an athlete. This left seemingly every minute of Todd's life to be devoted to bettering himself on the football field.

Marinovich had instant success at USC. He was named freshman of the year after leading the Trojans to a Rose Bowl victory and a 9-2-1 record.

It was after that season, when Marinovich's demons began to rule his life. He was busted for possession of cocaine and was ultimately suspended from USC.

Despite his off the field problems, Marinovich was drafted in the first-round by the Raiders. And although he found some early success his drug problem grew. Marinovich failed a league drug test and was out of the league for good in two years.

Marinovich's drug problems only increased and it was destroying his life. This had found him homeless and desperate for ways to get a fix.

It all reached a boiling point with an arrest in 2007, when Marinovich, then 38, was found by officers in possession of, as reported by the Associated Press, "about a gram of powdered methamphetamine, a metal spoon and a hypodermic needle."

Maronivich ended up pleading guilty, and this ultimately led to Marinovich sobering up and turning around his life.

After falling in love while in rehab, Marinovich got married and started a family.

He relapsed in 2009, just as he and his wife were expecting their first child. Marinovich, who was on probation, went back to jail.

He has reportedly been sober since, and has been finding a new and productive way to express himself.

His Art

Todd now keeps himself busy being a family man and an artist. He paints, draws, sculpts and writes, among other things.

He employs an abstract method of painting to create beautiful paintings like the ones found on Toddmarinovichart.com. Here are couple of his pieces as found on his website. 

The Final Nail in the Coffin

It is always a great story to hear of someone turning around a life headed for disaster. Marinovich is not just living, he is thriving. He also is amazingly well-adjusted.

While his dad spent a lot of time being vilified in the press for his overbearing ways driving his son to addiction, that is simply not the case.

As Marinovich says himself in the below interview, he does not blame his father for any of his hardships. Instead he paints a picture of a caring dad that was always there for him and helped him pull himself up from rock bottom.

He admits that his dad pushed him hard, but says he realizes it was out of love. He and his dad now share a very close relationship.

The tendency is to point the finger at Todd's work driven upbringing and blame that for his addiction. 

However, addiction does not care about the particulars of the way in which a person was raised. It strikes without prejudice, and stems from a genetic predisposition. And it often ends with disastrous results.

While it is easy to see this story and focus on the opportunity wasted by the incredibly talented QB and walk away with a sense of regret, that shouldn't be the case.

Marinovich's story is one of hope. He was about as low as person can get without being found in the obituaries and has emerged to thrive by expressing himself through new outlets after living through a public failure and downfall that would be enough to emotionally cripple many people.