Clinton Portis Among Ex-NFL Players Charged with Defrauding Health Care Program

Former Denver Broncos and Washington running back Clinton Portis is one of 10 former NFL players facing charges of defrauding a health care program intended for retired players.

Adam Kilgore and Rick Maese of the Washington Post reported the news Thursday, noting the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Portis, Carlos Rogers, Robert McCune, John Eubanks, Tamarick Vanover, Ceandris Brown, James Butler, Frederick Bennett, Correll Buckhalter and Etric Pruitt with defrauding the program of almost $4 million.

The DOJ also plans to charge Joe Horn and Reche Caldwell with conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

The charges were filed in the Eastern District of Kentucky following allegations from an FBI investigation that the players were paid more than $3.4 million after they filed $3.9 million in false claims from June 2017 to December 2018.

The players also were said to have submitted false claims to the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan so they could be reimbursed for medical equipment that cost between $40,000 and $50,000.

The players also allegedly recruited others using bribes.

Maese provided a visual for how the process is said to have worked:

Portis is the most notable name on the list. He played nine years in the NFL following a successful collegiate career with the Miami Hurricanes and was the 2002 Offensive Rookie of the Year. He is also a two-time Pro Bowler and ran for more than 1,000 yards in six of his nine seasons.