DDN
Schlichter speaks at Centerville church about gambling, life
Famous OSU, NFL quarterback told stories of his time in prison and his redemption.
By Tom Beyerlein
Staff Writer
Monday, April 16, 2007
Photos
CENTERVILLE ? They say an addict has to hit rock bottom before he can turn himself around. For Art Schlichter, that moment came in 2004, when he was caught gambling in prison and guards threw him in the hole: A tiny, solitary cell with a 20-watt lightbulb, a bed with no pillow and a steel toilet. For 120 days.
"I had a lot of time to think," the former Ohio State University and NFL quarterback told an audience at Centerville United Methodist Church on Sunday. He remembered some words a counselor once told him: "When you hit the bottom, you need to hit your knees." So Schlichter prayed, and God "gave me something I didn't deserve ? his grace and a lot of mercy."
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