Art Schlichter: Why Art Schlichter and Other Athletes Have Fallen After Sports

Art Schlichter: Why Art Schlichter and Other Athletes Have Fallen After Sports Image

Art Schlichter a Suspect after Possibly Running a Ticket-Brokering Operation.

With news today that former Ohio State All-American Art Schlichter is in trouble again involving gambling dealings, it begs the question: Why do so many athletes get into trouble with the law after retiring from sports?

A past article by ABC News, although focused primarily on the NBA, suggests a lot of it has to do with the fact that athletes are "corrupted by money and attention at an early age," leading them to believe they "can do no wrong."

This reality about sports, whether it be basketball, football, or any other major sport, is one that has sprung up time and time again.

In Schlichter's case, this seems to be more of an addiction to gambling than anything, but addiction is a form of habit, and you get into a habitual rhythm it can be nearly impossible to stop.

We all have our little habits and addictions (mine, personally, is writing), who's to say we wouldn't be the same as some of these athletes when lavished with gifts and under-the-counter benefits to join a school or organization?

I'm not saying we'd all go out and have a crime-filled bonanza reminiscent of an Armageddon, but you can't discount how some of these athletes are set up to fail.

Everybody is responsible for their own actions, in my opinion, but, much like a parent can set the wheels rolling for a child, we can set the wheels rolling for an athlete.

Schlichter's apparent demise off the field is sad, not only because of the fact he's been in 44 prisons and jails in his lifetime, but because maybe this all could have been prevented.

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