A report of a nude man crouching in bushes near Irvine's Venta Spur Trail walking path turned up former USC star quarterback Todd Marinovich, police said today.

The 47-year-old, who also played for the Raiders in Los Angeles before drug issues essentially ended his NFL career, was found “naked hiding in the backyard of a residence” nearby, according to a statement from the Irvine Police Department.

This happened about 9:20 p.m. Friday, cops said, but the department just announced the arrest, including a release of Marinovich's booking photo (below), this afternoon.

“Officers also located a bag belonging to Marinovich containing suspected narcotics and paraphernalia,” police alleged in the statement.

Marinovich was arrested on suspicion of trespassing, drug possession and having narcotics paraphernalia, cops said. He was cited and released. The drug reportedly was methamphetamine.

The former player, from Newport Beach, gained notoriety as a high school quarterback. His father, Marv Marinovich, was a former team captain at USC who raised Marinovich from the cradle to be an extraordinary athlete. Marinovich got the nickname “Robo Quarterback.”

In the NFL, he failed three drug tests and was released by the Raiders after the 1993 season. He went on to play in the Arena Football League and the Canadian Football League, but drug use and narcotics arrests haunted him. ESPN called him one of The 25 Biggest Sports Flops.

