Addiction became an affliction for QB

By Jon Moffett

“I went to prison for 10 years. I spent time in 44 different jails and prisons over that time. It got pretty bad, as bad as you can imagine.”

Art Schlichter

Former OSU quarterback

Art Schlichter suffered because of a gambling illness that ruined his NFL career.

CANFIELD — On the field, Art Schlichter knew the rush that came with football.

Off the field, Schlichter searched for the rush that came with gambling.

“I’m a recovering gambler,” Schlichter said. “And now, part of what I do is I promote gambling awareness and gambling treatment.”

Schlichter did just that when he visited the Valley Tuesday.

Schlichter was the guest of honor and keynote speaker at the fourth-annual Valley Impact Awards. The event was put on by Meridian Services, a behavioral health care organization that deals with addiction. The event honored those who work with people fighting addictions and gave out awards for continued efforts.

Meridian chief executive officer Larry Moliterno said having a speaker of Schlichter’s caliber sends the message very clearly.

“Obviously a lot of people know about his athletic career,” said Moliterno. “But when you listen to him talk, you realize that this illness — this disease of addiction — can affect anyone, anywhere. He’s a perfect example of it; he was raised in a great family, was a great athlete, had the world at his fingertips and even he is not immune to this illness.”

Schlichter said he began gambling at a young age, and the availability of gambling is what makes it so dangerous.

“It’s definitely easy to get involved in,” Schlichter said. “Today, kids can get on the Internet and sit right in their bedrooms to gamble; people don’t even need to leave their house to gamble anymore. I think it’s the epidemic of the 21st century; it’s like crack cocaine.”

Schlichter was a promising football player at Ohio State from 1978-81. The quarterback started all four years at OSU and was drafted fourth overall by the then-Baltimore Colts in the 1982 NFL Draft.

However, Schlichter’s gambling addiction became so intense that it took over his life and ruined his professional career.

“It was a high,” Schlichter said. “Every time I would bet it was a risk. It was like drugs or alcohol would be for someone else. I enjoyed the feeling of gambling, the atmosphere and everything about it.”

Schlichter said he began to steal from his friends and family. He was arrested on charges of fraud, money-laundering and racketeering and was imprisoned in 1995.

“I went to prison for 10 years,” Schlichter said. “I spent time in 44 different jails and prisons over that time. It got pretty bad, as bad as you can imagine.”

In 2004, Schlichter was caught gambling in prison and placed in solitary confinement for 120 days.

“Prison doesn’t teach you a whole lot,” Schlichter said. “Prison is more about being warehoused than treatment ... But I was fortunate enough to get a little treatment at the end of my prison stay, and I used that to kind of catapult me home and it gave me the opportunity to do what I am now.”

Schlichter was released from prison in 2006 and began a non-profit organization called Gambling Prevention Awareness and said he no longer gambles.

Like any other addictive habit, gambling must be controlled when enjoyed, Schlichter said.

“The first thing you can do is not gamble,” Schlichter said. “But you’ve got to gamble responsibly if you do gamble ... It’s almost like drinking; you have to know when enough is and you have to know when to quit.”

jmoffett@vindy.com

XFor more information on Schlichter’s organization, visit gamblingpreventionawareness.org. For more information on Meridian Services, visit meridianservices.org.