What lessons are there to be learned from the story of Todd Marinovich? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.
Answer by Aaron Ellis, Newsroom editor, former music critic, writer, on Quora:
Todd Marinovich is a classic example of the burnout and the inevitable self-sabotage that follows when a young athlete is pushed to their break point. He is a cautionary tale for parents who push their children too hard and for kids who are single minded in their pursuits.
Marinovich's behavior is consistent with every superbred athlete whose life was dedicated to the sport and nothing else: he was ill-equipped to deal with pressure and adversity, the former of which he experienced a lot. This caused him to lean in the extreme opposite direction by turning to partying, alcohol and drug abuse.
His father, Marv, was the source of the problem. He didn't want a son so much a clone of himself. Todd was raised - no, bred - to be a professional athlete like Marv. Every element of his life was micromanaged to be a superior football player. This literally began when Todd was a baby, when Marv designed crib workouts and meals for him. Marv's NFL career was a disappointment, so he wanted a son to be a successful pro football player.
Marv got what he wanted. Todd was a phenomenal high school athlete, a strong college athlete at USC (Marv's alma mater), and an NFL quarterback for the Raiders (Marv's old team). The irony is that Marv recreated what he hoped to avoid. Todd washed out of the NFL just like his father, the difference being that Marv failed because he physically overtrained while Todd failed because he was mentally underdeveloped.
To be clear, Marv Marinovich is a masterful strength trainer. He is one of the most educated men in the world on the subject. His research has been highly influential in swaying the course of modern sports performance, and he has developed many great athletes. To this day his services are still sought by elite athletes across the country in a variety of sports. But parenting and training are different things, and from all stories I've heard about Todd, he got more of a coach than a dad. His life was one of training, touchdowns, and tough love. Todd faced extreme pressure from inside and outside of his family, and eventually it broke him. As of now, he has more arrests than he had touchdowns in the NFL. Just for reference, he threw 8 TDs.
Todd also represents the danger of young people who don't use their college career as a time to mature emotionally and intellectually. He was never challenged in high school because he was so advanced in comparison to the competition. College was the first time he faced challenges on and off the field. But Marinovich left USC after two seasons because he had the physical gifts to play in the NFL. The problem was that he was still woefully immature. His inability to get along with his coach, his problems with his father, and his partying and drug abuse were all signs of someone who maybe isn't ready for life as a pro, where all personal issues become magnified. He thought that turning pro would allow him to escape his problems, but it just exacerbated them.
The main lesson I took from Todd is that people need balance and options. Todd had no choice in life but to be a professional football player - whether he wanted it or not - and he had nothing else in life to enjoy. He couldn't cope, so he turned to drugs. I've seen this story play out many times with kids who are pushed too far, both athletically and academically.
Ultimately, life shouldn't be all about success in one area.
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