Former Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter is again in trouble with the law.
According to multiple reports, Schlichter, 51, appeared in federal court Thursday accused of having cocaine in his system twice during his house arrest in the last few months and refusing to provide urine samples on multiple occasions.
He was arrested Wednesday in his Columbus home and will appear before the U.S. District court Friday for a hearing on his charges. He will spend the night in Franklin County jail according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Steve Nolder, who has served as Schlichter’s public defender, did not immediately respond to The Lantern‘s request for comment.
Schlichter has had well-documented problems with the law. He most recently pleaded guilty to fraud for his part in a ticket scheme which started in 2008 that cheated more than 50 people out of $2.5 million.
Schlichter agreed to a plea bargain that would have him serve a sentence of more than 10 years behind bars, but the agreement is awaiting a judge’s approval.
While waiting for approval of the deal, Schlichter had been under house arrest.
Schlichter played quarterback for OSU from 1978-1981 and was an All-American in 1979.
The Baltimore Colts selected him with the fourth pick in the 1982 NFL Draft.
Gambling problems dating back to his college days continued into the pros and began to cause Schlichter problems. Threats from bookies led Schlichter to reveal his gambling problems to the FBI. Shortly after, the NFL discovered his gambling problems and suspended him until the 1984 season.
His problems continued to persist and Schlichter was banned from the NFL in 1987 after pleading guilty to illegal gambling.
After being released from prison in 2006, Schlichter tried to turn around his life.
He founded Gambling Prevention Awareness, a non-profit organization, which tried to help compulsive-gamblers with their addiction. And in 2008, Schlichter was hired to cover OSU football by the Columbus radio station 610 WTVN.
“I have two kids that I love and I wanted to be there for them, but for many years I wasn’t,” Schlichter said in a phone interview with The Lantern in 2010. “Now that I am, it feels good. Same with my mother. It’s good to be there for her.”
But beginning in 2011, Schlichter was connected to a ticket fraud scheme that would eventually get him in more trouble with authorities.
He has served more than 10 years in prison since 1994 for a variety of charges including fraud and theft according to multiple reports.
