Life after NFL may be a hard thing to face. No more game adrenaline, media coverage, fans attention, and, sometimes, without freedom. This is the case of former Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis who has been sentenced to prison for frauding the NFL veterans health care program. In fact, the 40-year-old is not the only player involved in this issue.
Clinton Portis has played for 9 seasons in the NFL. Being a product of the University of Miami, he was drafted by Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2002 Draft. Even though he has just spent 2 years with this franchise, he established several local records such as rush yards for a rookie season (1,508) and Total Touchdowns for a rookie season (17).
In 2004, Portis was traded to Washington Redskins, where he reached its brightest. He could not win a Super Bowl, however, he was included in the list of 80 Greatest Redkins thanks to the performance that has put him as 27th all-time in career rushing yards.
How much time will Clinton Portis and other retired NFL players spend in prison for fraud?
U.S. Department of Justice has issued a sentence of six months in prison, and six more of home confinement, for Clinton Portis, after the running back pleaded guilty in September 2021 for committing fraud to the Gene Upshaw Health Reimbursement Account.
This health care program was created in 2006 to help retired NFL players to pay for their medical attention and it provides up to $350,000 of coverage per player. Portis had faced up to 10 years in prison for false requests for medical equipment, but as a part of his guilty plea, he accepted to pay the almost $100,000 he received.
So far, 15 former NFL players have pleaded guilty to the same felony. The list includes Ex-New Orleans Saints receiver Joe Horn, and Ex-Philadelphia Eagles running back Correll Buckhalter. The Department of Justice has pointed out former linebacker Robert McCuneas the main organizer of the fraud against NFL’s health care program. The rest of them are Carlos Rogers, James Butler, Ceandris Brown, John Eubanks, Antwan Odom, Etric Pruitt, Darrell Reid, Anthony Montgomery, Frederick Bennett, and Reche Caldwell.
The next former NFL star to be condemned is Tamarick Vanover, who has played as a receiver for Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers from 1995 to 2002. Initially, Vanover did not accept his culpability but in September 2021 he finally pleaded guilty.
