‘Cocaine Quarterback’: the rise and fall Owen Hanson
By Maurice Williams
Drugs. Money. Alcohol. Gambling. These are all vicious addictions that have ruined countless lives. However, they all pale in comparison to the addiction of the approval and validation from others—that unexplainable feeling of doing any and everything to feel loved. This very addiction is what drove a young California kid with a world of opportunity in front of him to turn a heinous life of crime that nearly cost him his life and, in the end, cost him his freedom. Cocaine Quarterback is the harrowing tale of Owen Hanson, the young man who at one point was part of one of the greatest dynasties in college football but would end up behind bars for becoming a drug kingpin.
From Running Drills to Running Drugs
This documentary is a gripping narrative on the life of Owen Hanson that takes the viewer all the way back to the beginning—the life of a boy with much promise who would later turn toward a wicked path of crime. Cocaine Quarterback does a stellar job at capturing every critical moment that shaped Owen’s life. From the divorce of his parents that shattered his heart and separated him from his mother and sister, these events left Owen with an unresolved need for family. The three-part series also covers his rise as a highly recruited volleyball prospect to his switch from almost getting cut from the team to walking onto one of the greatest college football teams of all time.
The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall
Using opposing narratives between Owen Hanson and some of his disgruntled business associates, Cocaine Quarterback explores through the lens of all involved how it “really went down,” a tale that creates an even higher sense of unpredictability to this already incredulous story. The director, Jody McVeigh-Schultz does a phenomenal job incorporating real video and audio recordings from the case to accentuate the stories and fill in the gaps. With excellent testimonies from those close to Owen as well as his teammates, this documentary serves as the blueprint inside the decisions that led Owen to a life of crime—going above and beyond to give you every point of view while leaving space for the audience to draw their own conclusions.
“To Regret Deeply is to Live Afresh”
Cocaine Quarterback goes above and beyond to create a clear and interesting thread of events that took place. This series, unlike many others, does not play into one specific narrative. Instead, it allows the viewer across three episodes to connect with the humans involved and contemplate their own lives, mistakes they’ve made, and regrets they still harbor. If you want to hear a compelling, emotional, jaw-dropping story full of twists and turns, Cocaine Quarterback is the perfect documentary for you.
Cocaine Quarterback is available to stream now on Amazon Prime Video.