Ex-USC Walk-On Hanson Ready For Comeback After Release On Drug Charges

On December 15, 2017, Owen Hanson hit rock bottom.

Twelve years earlier, he stood behind Pete Carroll on a podium as USC raucously celebrated an annihilation of Oklahoma in the National Championship game. By 2017, Carroll moved on to the Seahawks where he appeared in two Super Bowls. He was joined in the NFL by Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and LenDale White, Hanson’s close friends at USC.

With Carroll far removed from the USC campus, Sam Darnold led the Trojans to the 2017 Pac-12 championship, their first in nine years. But Hanson had USC far from his mind, as he learned his fate inside a San Diego courtroom. When a judge imposed a sentence for running an international drug, sports betting and money laundering operation, the words hit Hanson like a bag of bricks: 255 months. A full sentence would leave Hanson behind bars until his mid-50s, a harsh punishment for a former football player who did not kill anyone.

When Hanson embraced his father Jim in the courtroom, his dad provided sage advice: “If you’re going to cry, don’t do it here. Show everyone how tough you are.” That night, Hanson sobbed uncontrollably in a prison shower, as anyone would given the enormity of the sentence. Last year, though, Hanson received a lifeline when his cooperation with Australian authorities resulted in a Get Out of Jail card.

Now, free after his release from a halfway home, Hanson is ready to embark on a comeback act. A savvy entrepreneur, Hanson received his MBA inside prison and has launched a protein ice popsicle company. Hanson’s remarkable story is chronicled in Cocaine Quarterback, a three-part docuseries that debuted last week on Amazon Prime.

Hanson’s Australian business

After college, Hanson worked briefly as a real estate developer, a position that dried up due to the 2008 Financial Crisis. Hanson eventually got caught up with an illegal sports betting ring, learning the ropes under Jan and Erik Portocarrero, two brothers who were indicted in 2013. Though Hanson missed the cut, he branched out, launching his own sportsbook, BetODog Sports.

One sports betting client, according to Hanson, worked for a large Mexican cartel south of the border. Hanson began running money for the cartel, a job that led to his enterprising work in Australia. There, Hanson sold vast quantities of cocaine Down Under at a 3x premium to the U.S. market. As Leinart, Hanson’s ex-teammate, sat the bench in the NFL, the former tight end made millions through narcotics sales.

The majority of the second episode is focused on a bizarre transaction between Hanson and Robert J. Cipriani, a high-stakes blackjack player. Over a two-day span, Hanson staked Cipriani with $4 million at a blackjack table at Sydney’s Star Casino. On the first night, Cipriani won $300,000 on a bankroll of $1.5 million. With $1.8 million, Cipriani received a casino check from The Star that he brought back to the U.S. to cash at a sister property.

Buoyed by the score, Hanson went back to Cipriani soon after. On the next evening, Hanson gave Cipriani $2.5 million for a return trip to the table. This time, though, Cipriani apparently lost it at all, firing as much as $60,000 a hand. Producers from Cocaine Quarterback obtained surveillance footage from The Star, with Cipriani at the table.

While Hanson escaped the country without detection from authorities, the incident triggered his downfall. Cipriani returned to the country, then served as an informant for the FBI – providing intelligence to the government on the case.

By 2015, Hanson’s world came crashing down when a multi-jurisdictional task force placed him under arrest on a golf course in Carlsbad.

A loyal crew

While incarcerated at FCI Englewood in Colorado, Hanson conceived the ice pop company – California Ice Protein. Chiseled like a bodybuilder, Hanson sees a niche for the ice pops after a tough workout. Hanson developed the idea behind prison walls, using a janitor’s mop bucket to mix the concoctions.

At the Santa Monica premiere on Sept. 21, California Ice offered a wide assortment of popsicles to the attendees. A cast of characters from Hanson’s old crew joined him for the premiere, underscoring their loyalty to the former Trojans football player.

They included: Tank Brandolino, a top Hanson lieutenant, Jeff Bryan, a runner, Danno Hanks, a former private investigator with the FBI and DEA, as well as one of Hanson’s collectors who goes by the nickname “Cobra.”

At 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, Cobra can easily pass as an NFL left tackle. Given Hanson’s immense ambition, Cobra is not surprised that he has already carved out a second career — months after a release from an LA halfway home.

Brandon Hancock, Hanson’s ex-teammate at USC, echoed the sentiments.

“It doesn’t stop here, I can’t wait for the next chapter for him,” Hancock told me. “The fact that he circumvented all kinds of things and he’s here to still breathe, I know in his heart he’s a good man.”

Cocaine Quarterback is produced by Unrealistic Ideas, a film production company operated by Mark Wahlberg. Director Jody McVeigh-Schultz also served as the director for McMillions, a series on the Monopoly game piece scandal. Both Hanson and McVeigh-Schultz attended USC at the same time.

Road to redemption

Hanson’s company will benefit considerably if he can land a national distribution deal. He points to Protein Pints, a company that landed such a partnership with Target. Last month, Protein Pints topped the $10 million mark in annual gross sales, with distribution in 8,000 stores nationwide. The widespread distribution represents about 23% of total U.S. grocery store volume, according to the company.

As Hanson looks to expand the company, his story is gaining momentum on Amazon Prime. Through four days, Cocaine Quarterback ranked No. 6 in most watched programs on the streaming service.

In terms of recovery, Hanson says he was “crawling,” in prison, but now he has moved onto the walking phase. While his brush with federal authorities felt like a bout against a heavyweight boxer, Hanson is ready to take on the next stage of his reclamation project.

“I tell people it’s like getting in the ring with Mike Tyson,” Hanson told me. “I’ve already seen the worst of the worst. Now, I’m somewhat free, breathing and eating regular food. Some people say I should have never made it this far.”