- The series, Cocaine Quarterback, is directed by Jody McVeigh-Schultz and produced by Mark Wahlberg’s company, Unrealistic Ideas.
- It premieres Thursday and documents Hanson’s trajectory from college football walk-on to convicted trafficker.
LOS ANGELES – Amazon Prime will debut a three-part docuseries this week on the rise and fall of former USC football player Owen Hanson, whose involvement in illegal gambling and international drug trafficking led to a 21-year federal prison sentence.
Hanson was part of USC’s 2005 BCS national championship team, celebrating on the podium behind coach Pete Carroll after the Trojans defeated Oklahoma. While he saw little playing time in college football, prosecutors later described him as a key social figure on the team who supplied steroids and recreational drugs to teammates.
From Sports Betting To The Big Screen
After college, Hanson briefly worked in real estate before joining Macho Sports, an online sportsbook that was later targeted by the FBI. He eventually launched his own operation, BetODog.com, and formed ties with other bookies, including Matt Bowyer, who attended Sunday’s premiere in Santa Monica.
A major turning point came when Hanson lost $220,000 on a five-leg football parlay placed by an associate of a Mexican cartel. The loss deepened his connection to the cartel, and Hanson began trafficking cocaine to Australia, where he could sell at triple the U.S. price.
At one point, he believed he would be killed after a failed transfer at a Sydney casino.
Federal authorities arrested Hanson on a California golf course in 2015. In 2017, he was sentenced to 255 months in prison for drug trafficking, sports betting, and money laundering. During his incarceration, Hanson developed the idea for California Ice Protein, a popsicle company.
His sentence was commuted in 2024 after he cooperated with Australian authorities, and he was released from a Los Angeles halfway house earlier this year.
At Sunday’s premiere, Hanson told the audience: “I shouldn’t be here today. I should probably be dead but someone is looking after me from upstairs.”
Episode 1.1 is to be released on Thursday.
