Beating the odds: Former Buckeye Art Schlichter working to put life back together

By Robert Gartrell (TheLantern.com) -

Art Schlichter lost everything. But now, it seems he has found salvation.

Since his release from Indiana’s Marion County Jail in 2006, the former 1978-81 Ohio State quarterback who notoriously gambled his way into prison has been slowly putting the shattered pieces of his life back together.

He has found work at a local radio station, his record has been clean, and he’s helping others conquer their addictions to gambling.

Schlichter’s family, ripped apart by his compulsive gambling, has seen him take a more active role with them now than at any other point in his life.

“I have two kids that I love and I wanted to be there for them, but for many years I wasn’t,” Schlichter said in a phone interview with The Lantern. “Now that I am, it feels good. Same with my mother. It’s good to be there for her.”

His mother, Mila, who lost a breast to cancer and a husband to suicide, came close to losing her son as well.

Once an All-American and arguably the greatest quarterback ever to play at OSU, Schlichter developed an affinity for gambling during college that would spiral beyond his control for the next 24 years of his life.

During his college years, he was often seen at Scioto Downs racetrack, placing bets to relieve himself of the overwhelming pressure that comes with being an OSU quarterback.

“Gambling is excitement,” Schlichter said. “People get involved with it because it’s fun and takes their mind off of what they’re doing at that point. Yet, they don’t realize how devastating it can be if it’s done the wrong way or if that person has a propensity to be an addict.”

He left OSU as the school’s all-time leader in passing yards, with 7,547, a record that still stands.

When Schlichter was selected fourth overall by the then-Baltimore Colts in the 1982 NFL Draft, the struggling organization expected him to restore the team to its past glory.

But when he received his first paychecks, the money left his hands faster than a football as he started making high-stakes bets on major sporting events, including other games in the NFL. Before the end of his rookie season, he had already gambled away his $350,000 signing bonus.

Schlichter became so focused on gambling that he did little to prepare himself for the NFL and saw only limited action during his rookie season.

His problems made national headlines after threats from bookies forced him to contact the FBI, leading the NFL to discover his addiction.

Although Schlichter maintains he never bet on any games involving any teams he played for (including OSU), the NFL still suspended him until the 1984 season.

Schlichter’s gambling problems continued after his reinstatement, and the Colts released him five games into the 1985 season. He never played in the NFL again.

For the next several years, Schlichter struggled to find work as his debts mounted. Any money he made was put down as action, hoping to win enough money to pay off his debt…..

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