10 biggest Ohio State football NFL Draft busts of all time

Ohio State football NFL Draft bust No. 1: Art Schlichter

1982 NFL Draft, Round 1, Pick 4
Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, 1982-1985

The number one bust in Ohio State football history is Art Schlichter and it’s not even close. Every Buckeye fan, and every NFL fan too, knows the Schlichter story. He was drafted number four overall by the Colts (yet another Colt on the list) in the 1982 NFL Draft.

Schlichter’s Ohio State career was great. He finished in the top six in the Heisman voting in his last three years with the Buckeyes. He was projected to be a franchise quarterback after that. That ended up being the furthest thing from the truth.

In his rookie year, he lost his starting job to the Colts’ fourth-round pick. Then the gambling issues started. Before he was even drafted he already owed bookies several thousand dollars. By midseason, he’d already blown his entire signing bonus on gambling. That was $350,000!

After being suspended for 13 months for gambling, he continued to lose a significant amount of money gambling. The Colts had enough by the 1985 season and released him. He never played meaningful NFL football again and played in the Arena Football League after that.

Schilcther has never gotten his gambling addiction under control. He’s been in and out of jail for most of the last 30 years for stealing money to continue his gambling. He was arrested again in 2011 for conning the heir of the former Wendy’s CEO out of a boatload of money.

Schlichter will probably continue gambling for the rest of his life whether he’s in prison or out of prison. It’s a shame that whatever help he has sought out over the years hasn’t worked. He ended up being a huge bust and a cautionary tale for all future NFL players.