SIDELINES : Detroit Drive Signs Schlichter

The Detroit Drive of the Arena Football League signed former Ohio State and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Art Schlichter, a spokesman said today.

Schlichter, 30, last played football in 1988 with the Ottawa Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He is expected to be the starting quarterback for the Drive when the two-time defending Arena League champions open their eight-game season June 8.

Schlichter for years has fought a gambling addiction that prompted the NFL to suspend him for the 1983 season and forced him to file for bankruptcy in 1988. As recently as October, 1989, he entered a Las Vegas hospital’s 30-day program for treatment of the addiction.

The 1979 All-America still holds several Ohio State records, including 8,850 yards in total offense. The Colts made him their No. 1 draft choice in 1982 and waived him midway through the 1985 season.