Former Ohio State University quarterback Art Schlichter missed a scheduled court hearing, where he was expected to plead guilty to drug charges, due to health issues.
An attorney for Schlichter, 65, said at a July 31 status conference that he would enter a guilty plea at a future hearing scheduled for Aug. 11.
Schlichter faced fifth-degree felony drug possession charges after a February 2024 traffic stop led to his arrest after an Ohio Highway Patrol trooper found cocaine in Schlichter’s vehicle, according to court records.
Feb 12, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, United States; Art Schlichter, former OSU quarterback, waits for the elevators after he was was dismissed form appearing for arraignment on cocaine possession charges in Franklin County Municipal Court.
The Aug. 11 hearing was the last hearing scheduled before Schlichter’s case was set to go to trial Aug. 25.
Jeff Booth, bailiff for Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Christopher Brown, the judge overseeing Schlichter’s case, confirmed Schlichter did not attend the hearing due to medical issues. Brown has not set a new date for Schlichter to enter his plea, and the Aug. 25 trial remains on the schedule, Booth said.
Columbus news station WCMH reported that Schlichter’s attorney, Sean Thivener, said at the Aug. 11 hearing that Schlichter fell and suffered injuries over the weekend of July 26. Schlichter was admitted to a skilled nursing rehabilitation center on Aug. 8, Thivener said, according to WCMH.
Schlichter pleaded guilty in 2022 to possession of cocaine and was on probation for that at the time of the traffic stop. Less than a year before that incident, Schlichter had been released from prison, where he served time for a ticket scheme that bilked victims out of millions of dollars.
Schlichter played for Ohio State between 1978 and 1981 and for four seasons in the NFL.
Public Safety and Breaking News Reporter Bailey Gallion can be reached at bagallion@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ex Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter misses drug case plea hearing
