Art Schlichter Arthur Ernest Schlichter ( born April 25 , 1960 ) is a retired college and professional American football quarterback , sometimes known for his compulsive gambling and the legal problems that arose from it . His surname is pronounced " Sh - LEES - tuhr " . Early life . A native of Bloomingburg , Ohio , Schlichter was a star at Miami Trace High School , when his gambling habit began with a visit to Scioto Downs , a harness racing track near Columbus , Ohio . It remained his favorite track over the years . Schlichter was a four - year starter at The Ohio State University . He was the last starting quarterback for legendary Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes . In fact , Schlichter threw the interception that lost the game and led to Hayes ' assault on Clemson defensive guard Charlie Bauman in the 1978 Gator Bowl - - an act that led to his firing the next day . Schlichter finished in the top six of Heisman Trophy balloting during his last three years — fourth in his sophomore year , sixth as a junior and fifth in his senior year . He nearly led the Buckeyes to the national championship in 1979 , and left the school as its career leader in total offense . Schlichter finished his four years at OSU with 7 , 547 passing yards and 50 touchdown passes , with 46 interceptions . He also rushed for 1 , 303 yards and 35 touchdowns During his college career , he was frequently spotted at Scioto Downs with a big - time Ohio gambler . Although the Columbus , Ohio and OSU police departments became suspicious , the athletic department felt it lacked enough evidence to go to the NCAA about the matter . On several occasions he was seen at the track with Hayes ' successor as head coach , Earle Bruce , a fact which helped cover up early problems emerging while Schlichter was at Ohio State . Pro career . Schlichter was picked fourth in the 1982 NFL Draft ( in the same class that included Jim McMahon of Brigham Young University and Marcus Allen of the University of Southern California ) by the Baltimore Colts ( who moved to Indianapolis two years later ) . Expected to be the starter , he lost the job to Mike Pagel , but was expected to be the Colts ' quarterback of the future . His gambling continued unabated ; he blew his entire signing bonus by midseason . His gambling spiraled out of control during the 1982 NFL strike , including him losing $ 20 , 000 betting on college football . By the end of the strike , he had at least $ 700 , 000 in gambling debts . In the winter of 1982 and the spring of 1983 , Schlichter lost $ 389 , 000 betting on basketball games , and his bookies threatened to expose him if he did not pay up ( the NFL forbids its players from engaging in any kind of gambling activity , legal or otherwise ) . Schlichter went to the FBI , and his testimony helped get the bookies arrested on federal charges . He also sought the help of the NFL because he feared the bookies would force him to throw games in return for not telling the Colts about his activities . The league suspended him indefinitely . Schlichter was the first NFL player to be suspended for gambling since Alex Karras and Paul Hornung were suspended in 1963 for betting on NFL games . He was reinstated for the 1984 season , but later admitted that he ' d gambled during his suspension ( though not on football ) . He was released five games into the 1985 season in part because the Colts heard he was gambling again . He never played another meaningful down in the NFL . He signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Bills in the spring of 1986 . However , he appeared in only one preseason game , and was cut after Jim Kelly signed what was then the largest contract for an NFL quarterback . In January 1987 , Schlichter was arrested in New York City for his involvement in a multimillion - dollar sports betting operation . He pleaded guilty to illegal gambling in April , and Commissioner Pete Rozelle refused to permit him to sign with another team . He made another bid for reinstatement in 1988 , but was turned down . That same year , he filed for bankruptcy to shield himself from creditors . In parts of three seasons , Schlichter played only 13 games , primarily in backup or " mop - up " roles . He made only six starts , losing them all . He threw 202 passes and completed 91 of them . He amassed a quarterback rating of only 42 . 6 , and is considered one of the biggest draft bust s in NFL history . Schlichter briefly signed a contract with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League . He briefly saw his first meaningful game action in three years , but was released midway through the season . He played for the Arena Football League for the Detroit Drive in 1990 and 1991 , leading them to a third consecutive league title in 1990 as the league ' s MVP . He signed with the Cincinnati Rockers in 1992 , but was arrested that July for passing a bad check . He admitted suffering a relapse , but the Rockers were willing to stand by him . They worked out a deal with Schlichter in which they put most of his paycheck into an account to pay his gambling debts , except for $ 300 which they gave to his wife , Mitzi . However , he announced he would not return to the team in 1993 , intending instead to focus on curing his gambling addiction . He hosted a radio sports talk show in Cincinnati during the early 1990s , and appeared on " The Phil Donahue Show " , talking about his addiction . Extent of addiction . Over the years , Schlichter has , by his own count , committed more than 20 felonies . 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 . He was released from prison on June 16 , 2006 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 late 2009 , Schlichter and his mother appeared in TV ads opposing an Ohio casino statewide ballot issue . Because of his addiction , Art was listed as the # 7 Top Draft Bust by the NFL Network in its NFL Top 10 show . On February 9 , 2011 , reports emerged that Schlichter was under investigation for fraud . Schlichter was charged with a first - degree felony in connection with the theft of more than $ 1 million on February 14 , 2010 . 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 . 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 .