Ex-rink star a captive of gambling
Ex-rink star a captive of gambling
Suicide of former Clarkson player leaves family wishing more help was available
by Norah E. Machia , Times Staff Writer
First published: Sunday, February 6, 2005
Tracy S. Green believes her late husband, Mark R. Green, might be alive today if there were more treatment options for compulsive gamblers.
"He was too far into gambling and he didn't know how to get out of it," said Mrs. Green.
Mr. Green, a Massena native who was a star hockey player at Clarkson University, Potsdam, and played in the minor leagues, committed suicide last October at the age of 36 after being charged with theft in August. Mrs. Green found his body hanging in the garage at the family's Potsdam home.
The couple had been separated for a few months prior to his death, but still maintained a relationship for the sake of their children, Kelsey D., 7, Corson D., 5, and Karley J., 1.
"I realized Mark had a gambling problem, but I didn't realize the extent of it until after his death," Mrs. Green said. "I didn't realize he was addicted to it."
Mr. Green attended Watertown High School and New Hampton Prep School in New Hampshire. After graduating from Clarkson University in 1992, he played 10 years for several minor league teams.
Mrs. Green linked her husband's gambling to his hockey career. There were card games on bus trips, and NCAA basketball tournament pools among the players. It gradually escalated to casinos, Quick Draw and sports betting, she said.
Signs that Mr. Green had become addicted surfaced when the family was living in Georgia. After his hockey career ended, he was hired as general manager of an amusement park. When he was unable to make good on gambling debts, he stole from his company. He was fired for embezzlement and, after his conviction, was sentenced to eight years' probation and ordered to repay $5,000.
The family eventually returned to the north country, and Mr. Green was hired by Parkway Dodge & Jeep, Canton.
But last August, Mr. Green was arrested and charged with stealing $9,350 from the dealership and $7,500 from a customer. The charges were pending at the time of his death in October.
In the weeks that followed, Mrs. Green discovered secret credit cards he had taken out, along with bounced checks from his personal checking accounts.
Officials from a casino called her several times trying to collect on money they said Mr. Green owed. Mrs. Green said they stopped calling when she sent them a copy of his death certificate.
Mrs. Green said several people saw her husband in a casino the night before he killed himself. Even though he was facing possible prosecution and more debt, he couldn't stop gambling.
Mr. Green killed himself because "he was desperate," Mrs. Green said. "He didn't think there were any other options."
"The average person doesn't understand this as a disease," she added. "They just think people can stop. But they can't without help."
Mrs. Green said that gambling is not a problem for most people, and said that she has gone to casinos.
It's the lack of help for compulsive gamblers that is the problem, said Mrs. Green. A toll-free number listed in small print on the back of a lottery ticket or a sign in the casino isn't enough, she said.
"You see all these commercials on television for phone numbers that people can call to get help quitting smoking," she said. "You don't see that for gambling."
She said there needs to be more accountability on the part of those who operate gambling ventures, "just like a bartender is supposed to stop serving drinks when a customer has had too much."
"Why do they let people continue to gamble when they're bouncing checks?" she asked.
Mrs. Green said she doesn't want her husband to be remembered as a criminal, but rather as a caring father who developed an addiction to gambling, in the same way people develop addictions to alcohol or drugs.
"Mark was a great father," said Mrs. Green. "He would do everything for his kids. He was so proud when they started playing hockey."
Last Christmas was the first her children spent without their father, and it was difficult to celebrate the holiday, she said.
Friends and neighbors have tried to make her life easier.
"The community has really offered me a lot of help," she said. "I've had people make us meals, help me transport the kids and even give me cash donations to help with expenses."
Several people also honored her request to tear down the garage where Mr. Green hanged himself so the family would not have to face of daily reminder of what happened there in October.