Todd Marinovich's Quest for Perfection Is Cautionary Tale for All Athletes

During the build-up for every NFL Draft, there is talk about can't-miss prospects. Todd Marinovich was expected to fall into that category, despite personal struggles at USC. Instead, he turned out to be a first-round bust, further proving that there are no sure things in sports.

Marv Marinovich did everything within his power to turn his son into the prototypical NFL quarterback. By starting that quest at such a young age, however, he was only increasing the pressure on his son to live up to the hype.

His personal woes started during high school but really came to light while under the microscope at USC. Despite those red flags, the local Los Angeles Raiders drafted him with the 24th pick in 1991.

Marinovich was unable to control his substance abuse issues once reaching the NFL, though. They were only compounded by the bright lights of Los Angeles, and after just a little more than two years in the league, he failed his third drug test and was out of the league.

The story, which was featured in an ESPN documentary called "The Marinovich Project" on Saturday night and was highlighted last year by Esquire, is a cautionary tale for all athletes and their parents. Perfection isn't easy and may be, in fact, impossible.

While parents, including Marinovich's dad, often think they are setting their kids up for success by molding them into something special, it can frequently be a journey that flies off the tracks abruptly.

The pressure that builds on a highly touted athlete can often leave them to crave a normal life outside of the spotlight. Marinovich had all the tools to be a successful quarterback, but even he couldn't live up to the sky-high expectations.

Who knows what would have happened if he was able to live a more normal life during his early years; or maybe if he even dealt with more adversity instead of being a special talent. It's definitely something parents need to consider before pushing their kids beyond their limits.

When that happens, they look for an escape. And often that escape ends up leading them down a path of destruction, ruining all of their previous hard work.

Marinovich has slowly acclimated himself to an average-Joe lifestyle by starting an Internet art gallery. But his presence will always hover around sports as a way to illustrate the dangers of becoming a phenom at an early age.

This is especially true nowadays when everybody is looking for their 15 minutes of fame.