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Schlichter talks from jail, blames addiction
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Schlichter blames addiction but never says 'gambling' in jail interview
Sunday, March 6, 2011 02:58 AM
By Mike Wagner
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Art Schlichter faces a theft charge; others are expected.
Some consider Art Schlichter a con man and a criminal who should be locked in prison for the rest of his life.
Others say he is an addict and a victim of compulsive gambling who should receive constant rehabilitation to fight off his demons.
The former Ohio State quarterback is once again behind bars and powerless to control public opinion, and once again said he is remorseful and regrets his latest legal trouble, which some say has cost others millions of dollars.
"I'm embarrassed that I have hurt anyone, and I would give anything to make it right," Schlichter told The Dispatch from the Franklin County jail in an exclusive interview, his first public comments since surrendering to local authorities three weeks ago to face criminal charges.
"I want to make amends to the people that I have harmed in some way. I wanted to reach out and apologize to people before I came (to jail), but I was advised not to contact them. That was the hardest part for me."
Schlichter, 50, an All-American at OSU more than 30 years ago, is being held without bond on a first-degree felony charge of theft alleging that he swindled a Dublin widow out of more than $1million to fuel his well-known compulsion to gamble.
But that charge is only the beginning of Schlichter's legal problems.
He's likely to face many other charges stemming from local and federal investigations into a ticket-selling scheme that began at least 18 months ago.
Schlichter reportedly would tell people that he could make money by selling tickets to Ohio State football games and the Super Bowl. But in many cases, those who lent him money were never repaid, and others did not receive the tickets they were promised.
In a new development, Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said authorities have identified 20 victims. Nine of them have filed police reports, O'Brien said. The others have not because they have said they see no hope of recovering the money that was lost.
Before his arrest, Schlichter said, he was still trying to make restitution payments to people he had victimized in previous decades. The amount he owes is unknown.
O'Brien said investigators are trying to determine how much money is involved in the current theft case. That will determine how many charges will be pursued and, if Schlichter is convicted, how much prison time he could face.
O'Brien and Sam Shamansky, Schlichter's Columbus attorney, both confirmed that they will continue discussing a plea agreement in hopes of avoiding a trial.
During an interview last week, Schlichter repeatedly acknowledged that he had hurt people who trusted him, and he continued to apologize for his actions.
He said he was clean and had his life back on track after he was released from a 12-year prison stay in 2006.
Sources familiar with the case say that Schlichter returned to his old ways at least in the past year. They say he was making bets - six-figure bets at times - on football games and other sporting events, as well as gambling on horse racing.
Schlichter wouldn't say when he took up gambling again. He wouldn't even use the word gambling during the interview.
But, as in the past, he blamed his gambling addiction for his latest trouble.
"It's beyond tough," Schlichter said. "When you let your guard down a little bit, when you don't have the proper support or you don't use that support, you put yourself in these situations. Hopefully, I will have an opportunity to get some treatment, make things right with people and try to help others who struggle in the same way."
He has made similar comments after previous scrapes with the law.
Schlichter said he turned himself in because he was ready to take responsibility for his actions and "didn't have anything to hide." He said it was difficult to say goodbye to family members, knowing he would cause them more pain.
He had no money, despite allegations that he swindled more than $1 million.
Shamansky, who was present for the interview, prevented Schlichter from answering questions related to the criminal investigation. But the attorney, who is handling the case for free, was even more explicit about Schlichter's gambling addiction leading to more criminal charges.
"It's all about this all-consuming addiction. It's not like there was a lifestyle fueled with cars, houses, women and dope," Shamansky said. "With this never-ending problem, you ask yourself, 'Where is the bottom,' and even after you spent years in prison, you still haven't found it. You can't get away from its pull; it never leaves you."
One person affected by Schlichter's current felony theft case, Anita Barney, 68, of Dublin, toldThe Dispatch two weeks ago that she lost nearly all her money to Schlichter. She said she had attempted to help him with a loan of $100,000 but eventually fell prey to a scam in which Schlichter used and intimidated her to solicit money from many of her friends and associates.
O'Brien said some victims of the scam have filed reports with authorities saying that Barney acted alone in certain transactions in selling sports tickets or seeking loans that were fraudulent. "Those matters are being investigated," O'Brien said in an e-mail.
Barney declined to comment for this story. In the earlier interview, she said that Schlichter repeatedly coerced her into any and all involvement with money or tickets.
One victim of the scam, an Upper Arlington businessman who asked not to be identified because he doesn't want to bring embarrassment to his family, said he was introduced to Schlichter by a friend and eventually lent him about $200,000.
He said Schlichter told him he had access to 300 tickets to last year's Ohio State-Michigan game, could sell them for profit and promised to split the money. But that deal fell through, and a promise to deliver 40 Super Bowl tickets was not kept. He said Barney wrote checks on Schlichter's behalf, but those checks eventually bounced.
The businessman has been paid back only $15,000 and is still angry at Schlichter, Barney and himself.
"Call me naive or stupid, or whatever you want, but Art was on the radio and talking to community groups about the dangers of gambling and seemed to be legit again," the man said. "But now it is crystal clear that I got taken by a con man, and it was a scam. He needs to stay in jail, period."
Schlichter said his time in jail has been painful, but he did receive inspiration from Buckeye football great Chris Spielman, who accompanied Schlichter's former attorney Bret Adams on a recent visit.
Spielman, who never expected the meeting to be made public, said he wanted to give Schlichter some kind of spiritual support. He added that it's important that Buckeye football alumni, whether or not they are troubled, stay together and try to help one another in life.
"I am not making any excuses for Art or his behavior, and he should pay a price," said Spielman, who is open and passionate about his faith in God. "But I told him I hope he makes it through this, no matter what. It was a chance for me in my faith to practice what I believe. In God's eyes, I am no different than Art is."
mwagner@dispatch.com
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