Derek Loville, a three-time Super Bowl winner whose battle with injuries and drugs sent him on a downward spiral, has been convicted for his part in an off shore gambling and drug trafficking empire.
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The San Diego Union Tribune described Loville as a "low level middle man" who was caught up in a federal investigation of ODOG Enterprise, a firm run by Owen Hanson, 35. Loville met Hanson through a mutual friend and would place bets on Hanson's gambling website, betodog.com. Loville ended up owing Hanson thousands of dollars, the Union Tribune reported.
Additionally, Loville was battling the after effects of a nine year NFL career that left him with more than 20 concussions. While he received various pain medications while he played, that stopped when he retired, his attorneys wrote. At some point, a pain-racked Loville started receiving oxycodone and Ecstasy from Hanson; and then Loville was caught on a wiretap coordinating the sale of Ecstacy with Hanson, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Young contended, as reported in the Union Tribune.
Loville's attorney said his client didn't know the scope of the operation, but he was still sentenced to 15 months in jail after pleading guilty to a scheme to traffic drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana in the U.S. and Australia. Hanson has already pleaded guilty to a racketeering and drug trafficking conspiracy and faces 20 years in prison.
Loville, a running back, played for Seattle, San Francisco and Denver from 1990-1999. He was never a dominant back — he only rushed for 1,620 yards during his career. Still, he played on three Super Bowl winners — the 49ers in 1995 and the Broncos in 1998 and 1999.
