NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Former NFL quarterback Todd Marinovich has been arrested after being found in a public bathroom with apparent drug paraphernalia.

Marinovich, who has acknowledged that drug addiction derailed his once-promising football career, was being held in an Orange County jail for investigation of violating his probation pending on a drug court hearing scheduled for next week.

A police officer found Marinovich in the bathroom May 20 with a bent spoon and syringe. The former quarterback fled on a bicycle but was arrested 15 blocks away, police said. On the police report, he listed his occupation as “unemployed artist.”

Marinovich, who lives in Balboa, was first arrested on drug charges when he was a student at the University of Southern California. He earned nearly $2.3 million as a first-round draft pick of the then-Los Angeles Raiders in 1991, but was removed from the roster after two seasons due to his drug problem.

He later played football in Canada and the Arena Football League. He was arrested on drug charges in 1997, 2001 and last August. In last year’s arrest, he was caught skateboarding in a prohibited area carrying methamphetamine and three syringes, police said.

He pleaded guilty to those charges and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years’ probation.