Despite many run-ins with the law because of a trail of fraud, deception, and gambling, Art Schlichter is still who he is.
I’m too young to fully remember myself, but according to those just a wee-bit older, former Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter had the world in his hands. He was the charismatic and confident leader of an Ohio State team that actually threw the ball around the field a little bit under Woody Hayes. He finished in the top six of the Heisman voting his last three years under center for the Buckeyes (1979, 1980, 1981) and left OSU as the all-time leader in total offense.
Even then though, there were signs of trouble. He was often seen gambling at a local horse-racing track on the south end of Columbus but that was only the tip of the iceberg. It’s well-chronicled now, but Schlichter may be more well known now for his decades-long gambling addiction that resulted in several stints in prison for fraud and theft to support his habit.
And that’s where he sits today. He just recently was released from federal prison and transferred to an Ohio institution to finish out the remainder of his sentence that should last another 14 months or so. Not many have really heard from him from the inside of prison, or have been made aware of the many health and psychological problems he now faces.
Until now. Well, last August that is. The Indianapolis Star published a very intriguing and well put together piece less than a month ago about the estranged Ohio State star on some wide-ranging topics.
Schlichter is hardly a victim, but he does have some things in his background that help you understand how such a steep fall from grace came about.
He is now 60 years old, has been diagnosed with both Parkinson’s and dementia, and suffers from CTE, a brain trauma condition from too many hits to the head. Earlier in life, though tragedy struck. He witnessed a hired hand on his farm hanging in the barn lifeless at age 6. While in junior high, he was burned badly on his right side trying to remove roofing tar from the floor when a spark ignited.
Through it all, football was the escape. Well, football and gambling. Nobody seems to know when the gambling started, but it was clear Schlichter was placing bets in high school. As with any addiction, it always gets worse and more lavish, and that’s exactly what happened with Schlichter — especially after his football career was over.
He has hurt, defrauded, and damaged many folks along the way just trying to support his gambling habit that seems to be beyond rehabilitation at this point. Court documents show that he continued to convince many to aid his gambling while in jail. He has alienated himself from many family members. His father killed himself.
Still, he likes to talk about how he has been victimized as well. In preparation for a story by the Star, Schlichter tried to orchestrate demands of people to talk to and not talk to and who to name and not name. Those conditions were not met, but it was still clear that he had a story he wanted to tell, and tell his own, calculated way.
From email exchanges between Schlichter and Dana Hunsinger Benbow of the Indianapolis Star:
“i was glad to hear back from you…i thought you read my emails and thought “this guys(sic) is nuts” and just lost interest,” wrote Schlichter.
He then started to paint a picture of mistreatment by the legal system rather than focus on his actions in another email to the Star.
“My story now consists of being unfairly treated and being coerced into taking a plea bargain and the prosecutor in Columbus broke the plea agreement i had with him and the judge and it has affected my life each and everyday since…i should have been home 2 years ago…i have never spoken about this before on the record…i should have along time ago but felt like it would hurt me more in the long run but i was wrong not to talk about…”
After spending time in nearly 50 jails and prisons, the former Buckeye quarterback that almost had it all is still trying to grapple with a life that has gone so very wrong.
The problem is there’s a long wake behind him of despair, heartache, and disappointment that he’s yet to really fully acknowledge publicly.
*Parts of this story were taken from the Indianapolis Star. To gain full context visit the website to read the entire article.
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