Police: Ex-Raiders quarterback Todd Marinovich arrested naked with drugs in Southern California backyard

Former Raiders and USC quarterback Todd Marinovich was arrested after he was found naked with methamphetamine in a stranger's backyard by Irvine police investigating a call about a nude man wandering a nearby hiking trail, according to authorities.

Marinovich, who once bore the nickname “Robo quarterback,” was booked on suspicion of trespassing; possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine; possession of drug paraphernalia; and possession of marijuana, Irvine police Commander Mike Hallinan said Monday.

Officers took the 47-year-old Dana Point resident into custody about 11 p.m. Friday.

“It is a tragic story. We found him hiding in a backyard. Someone's else's backyard. We responded to a caller stating there was a naked person on Venta Spur Trail,” Hallinan said.

The call came in about 9 p.m. and officers began scouring the neighborhood. They found Marinovich naked in a yard on Bluecoat, the commander said. “He was carrying the items in a brown bag,” Hallinan said.

Marinovich has waged a very public struggle with drug addiction and has at time offered advice to others with similar issues. In recent years, the father of two has worked as an artist, painting public murals and other pieces.

Growing up in Orange County, Marinovich was a football standout at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana and then went on to play for USC, where he led the Trojans to a Rose Bowl victory in 1990. He was later drafted by the then-Los Angeles Raiders, but let go after two seasons.

In the late 1990s, he pleaded guilty to cultivating marijuana and illegally possessing prescription medications.

A brief career in arena football came to an end several months after he was arrested for heroin possession in 2000.

Marinovich was arrested for drug possession in 2005 and once again two years later.

richard.winton@latimes.com