IRVINE — Todd Marinovich calls it the lowest point in his life.
The 48-year-old former football star says he was in a drug- and alcohol-induced blackout when police found him nude in a stranger’s backyard in Irvine last August, holding a brown bag with methamphetamine, syringes and his wallet.
He pleaded guilty last month to five misdemeanors and was sentenced to rehab and probation. If he completes six months of outpatient rehab, the judge says he won’t have to serve jail time.
“If you were to look up ‘rude awakening,’ that was my experience with the Irvine Police Department,” he said, with a chuckle.