Report: Marinovich Fails Test : Pro football: Through agent, Raider quarterback denies televised story saying he was found positive for drugs after playoff.

The rumors that have shadowed quarterback Todd Marinovich since high school have surfaced again.

Tuesday, ESPN reported that Marinovich had tested positive for an unspecified banned substance by the NFL. The cable sports network, citing anonymous league sources, said the Raiders’ second-year quarterback recently completed six weeks in a treatment center and is attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. The ESPN report also said that Marinovich is being tested five times a week by the NFL.

ESPN said that the test came shortly after the Raiders’ 10-6 playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 28.

Marinovich, through his agent, denied all the charges.

“Todd and I just got off the phone,” his agent, Tom Condon, said Tuesday night. “He indicated to me he has not failed any drug test, that he has not been to any rehab program. But (that) he is continuing with the counseling he has been getting. The counseling is voluntary on his part, and he initiated it himself.”

As for ESPN’s report that Marinovich had been missing from Los Angeles for six weeks, Condon said the quarterback explained that he was out of town training.

“Where it got started or anything else, I really can’t tell you,” Condon said. “He said he had been feeling great and that workouts were going really well. He said until this happened, he was feeling really great. He said to me: ‘Gosh, this is just old news. I wish they would just stop dredging it up.’ ”

Marinovich, who was arrested Jan. 20, 1991, in Newport Beach for possession of cocaine and marijuana, has been tested by the NFL since joining the league last season.

How would a positive NFL test affect Marinovich’s diversion program?

“That could affect it,” said Carl Armburst, Orange County deputy district attorney in charge of the county’s narcotics enforcement team. “No doubt about it.”

Armburst said the diversion program could be terminated, and criminal charges could be reinstituted. Then, Marinovich would be subject to prosecution.

Harbor Municipal Court Judge Susanne Shaw said last April that misdemeanor charges against Marinovich would be dismissed if he successfully completed the one-year counseling program. Shaw reportedly was satisfied with Marinovich’s progress during a status report on Oct. 24, a law clerk told the Associated Press. Another hearing is scheduled for April 23.

The rumors about Marinovich have persisted since he joined the Raiders as a first-round draft choice last season. Whispers about Marinovich possibly being in a drug rehabilitation center, although unsubstantiated, have been swirling for the last month.

Under the NFL drug policy, the first time a player has a positive test for a banned substance, the matter is kept confidential. A second positive test results in a mandatory 30-day suspension. A third positive is followed by a minimum one-year suspension.

Under the policy, the substance that is found in a player’s system is not announced. The ESPN report did not say what substance Marinovich had tested positive for.

Alcohol also can lead to a positive test, as it did with former Ram tailback Charles White, an admitted cocaine abuser who received a 30-day suspension 1988 after testing positive for alcohol.

Despite his drug arrest and subsequent counseling, Marinovich seemingly has maintained a carefree lifestyle. He faces a May 6 trial date in Torrance for violating a misdemeanor noise ordinance during a party at his Manhattan Beach home last Halloween.

In an interview with The Times last year, Marinovich acknowledged that he still uses alcohol.

“I still go out and do that--go to local bars such as . . . (bars in Manhattan Beach and Balboa Island)--I can’t help not to,” Marinovich said. “I don’t do it like I used to at USC because I can’t. I still have fun. That is one thing I didn’t want to let it (the arrest and rumors) ruin having a good time worrying about who’s watching. So, I haven’t thought about that for a while without saying, ‘Screw it. Just go and do what you’re going to do and be true to yourself.’ ”

The league’s drug policy is such that a player could maintain confidentiality about a single positive test. However, if a second positive were detected, the league would suspend the player for 30 days and make the information public.

Condon says he does not fear any future tests.

“What do you do as far as stopping these kinds of things from cropping up again?” Condon said of the rumors. “Let’s face it, he’s in a giant market there in Los Angeles. He’s a very well-known guy. To tell you the truth, the longer he goes as the starting quarterback for the Raiders, or as a player on the Raiders or in the pros, and isn’t disciplined by the league, that’s a pretty good indication there is nothing going on.”

Marinovich’s problems at USC contributed to his forgoing his junior and senior seasons to enter the NFL draft. In December, 1991, Marinovich was suspended indefinitely by USC Coach Larry Smith for missing a meeting and failing to register for classes.

The Raiders selected Marinovich with the 24th pick in the first round of the NFL draft.

After not playing a down in 15 regular-season games in 1991, Marinovich started the last two games in place of Jay Schroeder, who had two sprained ankles. Although he was the losing quarterback in the last game of the season and a playoff game to Kansas City, it appeared Marinovich had the inside track on the starting job this season.

However, in recent weeks the Raiders have expressed interest in obtaining veteran quarterback Phil Simms, a restricted free agent for the New York Giants. After discussions, it appears Simms will remain with the Giants because a deal could not be worked out.

It’s unclear if the ESPN report would have any effect on Marinovich’s status. No Raider spokesman could be reached for comment.

Condon said he did know how often Marinovich was being tested.

“There’s no set times, so I don’t know why anybody would say five times a week,” Condon said.

MARINOVICH CHRONOLOGY

Jan. 11, 1991--Was indefinitely suspended from USC’s football team by Coach Larry Smith after missing a mandatory team meeting and failing to register for spring classes. He was on academic probation at the time and could not have competed, even if he had remained in school that spring.

Jan. 20, 1991--Was arrested for possession of cocaine and marijuana by Newport Beach police a few yards from his mother’s home in Balboa. He pleaded guilty in Newport Harbor Municipal Court to misdemeanor counts and was placed in a diversion program for first-time offenders.

September, 1991--Manhattan Beach police officers responded to complaints of loud parties at his home four times. Each time, he promised to stop. Neighbors circulated a petition asking him to refrain from making so much noise.

January, 1992--An arrest warrant was issued after he failed to appear for arraignment on a misdemeanor disturbance charge stemming from a Halloween party at his home.

April, 1992--News reports stated that he failed an NFL drug test after the Raider-Kansas City Chief playoff game last December.