Over the years, Schlichter has, by his own count, committed more than 20 felonies.[SUP][11][/SUP] He gambled away much of his NFL, Arena League and radio salaries. Whenever he ran low on money to support his gambling, he stole and conned it from friends and strangers, and frequently passed bad checks. In a 2007 interview for ESPN's Outside the Lines, he estimated that he'd stolen $1.5 million over the years, if not more.
The habit eventually cost him his marriage; his wife left him in 1994 after FBI agents raided their home in Las Vegas in search of money he'd stolen. According to her, Schlichter gambled it away.
Between 1995 and 2006, he served the equivalent of 10 years in 44 various prisons and jails across the Midwest. His various legal problems, including fraud cases and forgery, among others, were often well-publicized. For example, he was so consumed by his habit that he had his public defender smuggle a cell phone into prison so he could place bets.
He later said that he hit rock bottom in 2004, after he was caught gambling in prison. He was placed in solitary confinement for four months.[SUP][12][/SUP]
He was released from prison on June 16, 2006[SUP][13][/SUP] and resided with his mother in Washington Court House, Ohio. By one estimate, he owes half a million dollars in restitution.
Schlichter founded a non-profit organization, Gambling Prevention Awareness, to educate others about the perils of compulsive gambling, including college and NFL players. He told ESPN that he started gambling because the pressure of being Ohio State's starting quarterback was too much on him, and he wanted to be just a regular guy. In much of Ohio outside of Cleveland and Cincinnati, the Buckeyes' starting quarterback is a major celebrity.
In 2007, Schlichter was listed as the #7 all-time draft bust on the NFL Network's Top 10 Draft Busts episode.[SUP][14][/SUP] In an updated list aired on April 16, 2010, Schlichter was moved to the #4 draft bust of all time,[SUP][15][/SUP] and in a video listing the top 10 quarterback draft busts of all time, Schlichter was listed #3, behind #2 JaMarcus Russell and #1 Ryan Leaf.[SUP][16][/SUP]
In late 2009, Schlichter and his mother appeared in TV ads opposing an Ohio casino statewide ballot issue.
On February 9, 2011, reports emerged that Schlichter was under investigation for fraud.[SUP][17][/SUP] Schlichter was charged with a first-degree felony in connection with the theft of more than $1 million on February 14, 2011.[SUP][18][/SUP]
On September 15, 2011 Schlichter was sentenced to 10 years in state prison for his involvement in a million-dollar ticket scam. While under house arrest awaiting assignment to a state prison, Schlichter tested positive for cocaine while serving a house arrest sentence on federal charges resulting from the same case (and while still on probation from his Indiana sentence) on January 19, 2012.[SUP][19][/SUP] As a result of the positive drug test, Schlicter was sentenced to 10 years, 7 months in federal prison (up from an original 8 years, 4 months sentence originally agreed to on the fraud case) to be served concurrently with the Ohio sentence, plus $2.2 million in restitution; the Indiana probation was canceled with the federal sentence
The habit eventually cost him his marriage; his wife left him in 1994 after FBI agents raided their home in Las Vegas in search of money he'd stolen. According to her, Schlichter gambled it away.
Between 1995 and 2006, he served the equivalent of 10 years in 44 various prisons and jails across the Midwest. His various legal problems, including fraud cases and forgery, among others, were often well-publicized. For example, he was so consumed by his habit that he had his public defender smuggle a cell phone into prison so he could place bets.
He later said that he hit rock bottom in 2004, after he was caught gambling in prison. He was placed in solitary confinement for four months.[SUP][12][/SUP]
He was released from prison on June 16, 2006[SUP][13][/SUP] and resided with his mother in Washington Court House, Ohio. By one estimate, he owes half a million dollars in restitution.
Schlichter founded a non-profit organization, Gambling Prevention Awareness, to educate others about the perils of compulsive gambling, including college and NFL players. He told ESPN that he started gambling because the pressure of being Ohio State's starting quarterback was too much on him, and he wanted to be just a regular guy. In much of Ohio outside of Cleveland and Cincinnati, the Buckeyes' starting quarterback is a major celebrity.
In 2007, Schlichter was listed as the #7 all-time draft bust on the NFL Network's Top 10 Draft Busts episode.[SUP][14][/SUP] In an updated list aired on April 16, 2010, Schlichter was moved to the #4 draft bust of all time,[SUP][15][/SUP] and in a video listing the top 10 quarterback draft busts of all time, Schlichter was listed #3, behind #2 JaMarcus Russell and #1 Ryan Leaf.[SUP][16][/SUP]
In late 2009, Schlichter and his mother appeared in TV ads opposing an Ohio casino statewide ballot issue.
On February 9, 2011, reports emerged that Schlichter was under investigation for fraud.[SUP][17][/SUP] Schlichter was charged with a first-degree felony in connection with the theft of more than $1 million on February 14, 2011.[SUP][18][/SUP]
On September 15, 2011 Schlichter was sentenced to 10 years in state prison for his involvement in a million-dollar ticket scam. While under house arrest awaiting assignment to a state prison, Schlichter tested positive for cocaine while serving a house arrest sentence on federal charges resulting from the same case (and while still on probation from his Indiana sentence) on January 19, 2012.[SUP][19][/SUP] As a result of the positive drug test, Schlicter was sentenced to 10 years, 7 months in federal prison (up from an original 8 years, 4 months sentence originally agreed to on the fraud case) to be served concurrently with the Ohio sentence, plus $2.2 million in restitution; the Indiana probation was canceled with the federal sentence
