Former No. 1 draft pick Art Schlichter has placed his release from prison in jeopardy for placing bets behind bars, per a report.
The Baltimore Colts’ pick from Ohio State in 1982 has been plagued by gambling and other issues that landed him in trouble with the law multiple times.
Schlichter, 60, now stands accused of placing bets while incarcerated. He is set for a hearing is set for Aug. 5 in Franklin County, Ohio, where a judge will rule whether Schlichter has properly completed the sentences he received in 2012 for what federal authorities dubbed a “million-dollar sports ticket scheme.”
In May 2012, Schlichter was sentenced to nearly 11 years in a Florence, CO, federal prison, and 10 years in an Ohio penitentiary. The two sentences were to be served concurrently.
However, the Indianapolis Star reports:
“He is a career criminal and he has stolen from people forever,” Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said. In a federal filing, O’Brien pointed to discipline Schlichter received in Florence in March for placing bets from prison.
“He has not engaged in good behavior,” O’Brien said. “He claims to be a gambling addict, which I believe to be true. He has continued to gamble in federal prison using some female acquaintances of his outside the prison.”
O’Brien says Schlichterl has at least a year and a half remaining on his state sentence and he should be required to serve that.
Defense attorney Stephen Palmer says Schlichter has various health problems, including mental health issues, CTE from playing football, and diabetes.
