Clinton Portis Pleads Guilty In NFL Healthcare Fraud Scheme

ASHBURN, VA — Former Washington Football Team running back Clinton Portis pleaded guilty in a healthcare fraud scheme last week, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. Portis is the fifteenth former NFL player to plead guilty in a scheme that targeted a healthcare benefit program for retired NFL players.

Portis's initial fraud trial ended in a hung jury last week, and a verdict was not reached. A pre-trial conference was scheduled for last Thursday, but Portis submitted a guilty plea on Friday, authorities said. Portis could face up to 10 years in prison.

"According to court documents, Portis caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims to the plan on his behalf over a two-month period, obtaining $99,264 in benefits for expensive medical equipment that was not actually provided," the Department of Justice wrote in a news release.

Authorities claimed Portis and other former NFL players took advantage of the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan, which was established in 2006 through the players' collective bargaining agreement. The plan reimbursed former players for out-of-pocket medical expenses that were not covered by insurance.

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Since December 2019, more than a dozen former NFL players have been charged in connection with a scheme to defraud the benefit plan. Now, all 15 of the charged former players have pleaded guilty for their role in the scheme, authorities said. Other players involved in the scheme include Joe Horn, John Eubanks, Antwan Odom, and former Washington Football Team defensive back Carlos Rogers.

Portis is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6, 2022. He faces a maximum of ten years in prison. As part of Portis's guilty plea, he will have to pay full restitution to the NFL's healthcare plan, the Department of Justice said.

In August, a Florida court issued arrest warrants for Portis relating to a failure to pay child supportfailure to pay child support, according to documents obtained by the Alachua Chronicle. Court documents showed that Portis failed to appear at his court dates and was found to be in contempt of court.

Portis, who filed for bankruptcy in 2015, owes more than $147,000 in child support, according to the Alachua Chronicle.

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