Who doesn’t like a good drug-smuggling documentary series?
Billy Corben set a standard for this genre in 2006 with Cocaine Cowboys, which detailed how a cocaine economy built Miami in the 1980s. Since then, we’ve developed a ravenous appetite for these stories. The wilder they get, the more we love to watch them.
The latest incredible saga comes from filmmaker Jody McVeigh-Schultz. Prime Video’s Cocaine Quarterback: Signal-Caller for the Cartel is the infamous story of Owen Hanson, a former USC football walk-on turned convicted drug cartel smuggler. It will be available to stream on September 25.
The best documentaries are those that, if pitched as a feature film, no Hollywood studio would likely greenlight. Imagine this idea for a script: A former member of the Trojans’ 2004 national championship team earning up to $1 million a day in cocaine sales while participating in an international crime ring that reached Australia.
In 2017, Hanson was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for running a drug trafficking/illegal gambling organization. He was released early to a halfway house in June 2025.
In Cocaine Quarterback, the 43-year-old makes for a charismatic storyteller. He eagerly provides the details that led to his rise and fall with such energy that, as one newscaster noted at the time, his life indeed sounds like a Martin Scorsese movie.
Predictably, Hanson sounds more like a guy who is sorry that he got caught rather than being apologetic for committing major crimes. That serves McVeigh-Schultz’s documentary well. It’s a fun watch over three breezy episodes.
Hanson’s criminal origin story starts with humble beginnings and an unexpected switch from volleyball to being listed as a 6-foot-2, 225-pound tight end on the football team’s roster. He was teammates with Heisman Trophy winners Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, though neither one is interviewed for Cocaine Quarterback. We do get a visit from LenDale White, who adds additional context.
Hanson also boasts about providing performance-enhancing drugs (steroids and HGH) to some members of the football team and how that led to the expansion of his life of crime.
While the USC ties are a big draw, McVeigh-Schultz brings the other key players into this drama. Many of them are shady characters who come across as cartoons. Sometimes they seem bright, as we learn the different ways they eluded the law. Sometimes they appear dumb because of the mistakes that led to their capture.
The dichotomy probably is what drew Mark Wahlberg to the story. This documentary is produced by his company, Unrealistic Ideas. Although Wahlberg has recently made some terrible choices as an actor, he has a keen eye for compelling true-crime docs (MoviePass MovieCrash, McMillion$, The Murders at Starved Rock, and Spy High).
Like any good documentary, there are some he said-he said accusations. The main ones are between Hanson and his former associate, R.J. Cipriani, a gambler-turned-FBI informant. That includes a shocking story involving a gravesite. Hanson may not be the most reliable narrator, and he clearly has a self-interest in painting himself in the most positive light. McVeigh-Schultz, a USC alumnus, allows the interviewees to either corroborate or dispute Hanson’s version of the truth.
What is clear is that Hanson had the raw talent and chutzpah to succeed in a legitimate business as a young man. However, if he had done so, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to enjoy this documentary.
Cocaine Quarterback will be available to stream Sept. 25 on Prime.
About Michael Grant
Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant.