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.

His notoriety as one of the biggest failures in NFL history only fueled his addiction.

“Gambling was my way of killing the pain,” Schlichter said. “It distracted me from reality. And the more pain you’re in, the more you want to use.”

Even starting his own family couldn’t pull Schlichter from his addiction.

In 1988, he married Mitzi Shinaver, with whom he later had two daughters, Taylor and Madison. He even found success playing in the Arena Football League and hosting a radio show in Cincinnati.

But he lost all of that when he was arrested for writing a bad check that was stolen from his sister-in-law’s bank account. That was the final straw for Mitzi, who could no longer deal with her husband’s problems. She left Schlichter and moved to Indiana with their daughters.

Schlichter fell into depression as his mind and spirit seemingly became eviscerated. Alone with only gamblers and his demons as company, he contemplated suicide.

“You get suicidal thoughts when you feel like there’s nowhere else to go,” Schlichter said. “Any addiction brings that on at some point. Everybody that goes through an addiction has thoughts of just wanting the day to end and not have to deal with it anymore. I was one of those people and I’m not alone.”

He continued to gamble, hoping to alleviate the pain he had caused everyone around him. After the FBI raided his home in search of stolen money in 1994, he was sent to prison.

He started gambling almost immediately after his release in 1996.

“Anytime you go back out, you think you can conquer it,” Schlichter said. “Gambling is a lot of lies. It doesn’t get better. It can only get worse.”

Schlichter spent most of his freedom like he did during his stint in the NFL, dodging authorities like they were blitzing linebackers. And as was the case in the NFL, he couldn’t avoid them.

Between 1994 and 2006, Schlichter spent more than 10 years in 44 prisons, losing an estimated $1.5 million.

The two years of “freedom” were highlighted by two awful experiences.

The first was the suicide of his father, Max, whose body was found in a swimming pool in 2002.

The second was after prison guards caught him gambling on college basketball in 2004.

Schlichter was punished with solitary confinement, where the loneliness brought on by years of self-inflicted mental wounds tortured him for four months.

“You really don’t have anywhere to go but death,” Schlichter said. “It’s very depressing, very isolated. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.”

In 2005, Schlichter lost $20 betting on a basketball game in prison. It would be his last bet.

When Schlichter was released from prison in 2006, he stayed at a treatment center in Baltimore before moving back with his mother, who was one of the few people who visited him in prison and supported him during his darkest years.

“My mother had to go the extra mile to stay by my side, and that’s one thing she instilled in me,” Schlichter said. “You have to love your kids and be there for them in the good times and the bad times. That’s what I try to do.”

In 2006, Schlichter founded Gambling Prevention Awareness, a non-profit organization aimed at helping compulsive gamblers find treatment for their addictions. Assuring confidentiality to those who seek his help, Schlichter offers advice about treatment, prevention and legal action to those in need and their family members. He also regularly attends speaking engagements on behalf of the organization, warning people about the dangers of compulsive gambling.

In 2008, Schlichter was hired to cover OSU football by the Columbus radio station 610 WTVN.

WTVN Program Director Mike Elliott said that, despite his past, there was little opposition to hiring Schlichter by listeners and station employees.

“He came on and was very humble and shared some of his stories in a real raw and honest fashion,” Elliott said. “Once the curiosity factor waned, his football knowledge took over. The guy knows what he’s talking about.”

Matt McCoy, sports director for WTVN, who works on-air with Schlichter, said Schlichter’s radio work has not only been helpful to the station, but also to his image.

“He’s very natural,” McCoy said. “That’s one of the things that impressed us right away. He’s also won a lot of people over. We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback. We get that almost weekly.”

Schlichter said his transition back to free society has been helped tremendously by the Buckeye faithfuls.

“Buckeye fans have been great to me,” Schlichter said. “I’m very lucky to be a part of Buckeye nation. Their support makes me proud to be a Buckeye.”

Nonetheless, McCoy said there are always some people who won’t accept Schlichter on account of his past transgressions.

“Some people just don’t want to let that go,” McCoy said. “It’s like (former OSU running back) Maurice Clarett. Hopefully he doesn’t slip up. He’s paid his debt to society. Same thing with (Schlichter). T
here are people with hard feelings who don’t want him associated with the program. My thought is ‘move on.’ Let somebody try to live their life and do it the right way.”

Still dealing with years’ worth of debt, Schlichter fears that casinos built in Ohio will ruin the lives of others like him.

In the months leading up to last year’s passage of Ohio Issue 3, Schlichter and his mother made several commercials opposing the bill.

Although he’s not opposed to gambling, Schlichter said he believes Ohio Issue 3, which plans to offer 2 percent of its revenue to the state to pay for gambling prevention and addiction programs, will not do enough to help prevent compulsive gambling.

“My concern is about what it’s going to do to help those gamblers who are hurt,” Schlichter said. “I don’t think the issue is written well enough to do that.”

Schlichter is also concerned about the exposure gambling has received in recent years. TV broadcasts of poker tournaments and the development of online gambling will lead to disaster, he said.

“I think gambling is going to become an epidemic in our country with all the outlets these days,” Schlichter said. “It’s much more exposed than it’s ever been.”

As for his family, Schlichter visits his daughters in Indiana as much as he can. He said he maintains a fair relationship with Mitzi, even though she has since remarried.

He also takes care of his mother, whose health has been deteriorating.

Schlichter is confident he can successfully fight the addiction. However, he knows he is forever shackled to the temptations of gambling and that every day for the rest of his life will be a struggle.

“I can’t judge what’s going to happen tomorrow or the day after that,” Schlichter said. “I’m just trying to get through today, do the right thing and take care of myself and my family.”