Marinovich Pleads Not Guilty to Drug Charges : Football: Pretrial hearing on misdemeanor counts is scheduled for Feb. 25 for former USC quarterback.

Todd Marinovich pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of possession of cocaine and marijuana in an out-of-court arraignment this week at Orange County Harbor Municipal Court in Newport Beach.

Marinovich, 21, was arrested on Jan. 20 after he and three friends were stopped for walking noisily down a Balboa street at 4:15 a.m.

A pretrial hearing was scheduled for Feb. 25. Marinovich is eligible to apply for a diversion program and could request it at the hearing, said Mike Koski, an Orange County deputy district attorney.

If Marinovich, a former USC quarterback, does not apply for the drug-counseling program, a jury trial date will be scheduled.

Marinovich’s lawyer, Gary Pohlson, was unavailable for comment, an office spokeswoman said.

The arraignment was scheduled for Feb. 11 but was changed at Pohlson’s request, Koski said.

“(Pohlson) told me this is what he wanted to do,” Koski said. “He filed the proper papers, and we didn’t even go to court.”

Marinovich, who announced last week that he plans to make himself available for the NFL draft in April, told a student reporter that he is glad to have left school.

In an article in Thursday’s edition of the Daily Trojan, Marinovich responded to Coach Larry Smith’s account of an outburst between them during the John Hancock Bowl in December.

“I’m just glad I’m moving on and won’t have to put up with that anymore,” Marinovich said when told of Smith’s comments.

Marinovich told reporters last week that he would attend USC if he had the choice to make again. He also sent a letter to Smith apologizing for past problems, according to the school’s sports information office.

Smith and Marinovich were seen arguing on the sidelines as the Hancock game, won by Michigan State, 17-16, ended. Smith had taken out Marinovich with about nine minutes left after three interceptions.

The Trojans kicked a field goal with 3 1/2 minutes left to make the score 17-16. Smith told Marinovich he would go back in if the team got the ball back, which it did not. Marinovich agreed to play, but said something that enraged Smith.

Marinovich told the Daily Trojan that Smith’s response was unprintable.

“Let’s just say his mother wouldn’t be proud to hear her son talking like that,” Marinovich told the newspaper.

Smith declined to comment. But he told the Daily Trojan, “I don’t think there’s any question that Todd’s comment to me caused (a) heated exchange between us.”