The players
allegedly submitted false claims totaling $3.9 million for expensive medical
equipment never purchased.
Playing
professional football comes with big paychecks, but also expensive medical
bills. As such, the NFL in 2006 established the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health
Reimbursement Account Plan, a health benefits plan for former players. And on
Thursday, 10 former players were arrested for allegedly defrauding the health
care plan. The charges include conspiracy, wire fraud and health care
fraud.
“Ten former NFL
players allegedly committed a brazen, multi-million dollar fraud on a health
care plan meant to help their former teammates and other retired players pay
legitimate, out-of-pocket medical expenses,” Assistant Attorney General Brian
Benczkowski said in a statement.
From June 2017 to
December 2018, the 10 former players allegedly submitted false claims totaling
$3.9 million for expensive medical equipment that was never actually purchased,
including ultrasound machines and hyperbaric chambers, according to CNN.
The claims were
flagged by Cigna as potentially fraudulent and referred to federal
investigators.
The ten players
include former Redskins players Clinton Portis, Robert McCune, Carlos Rogers
and John Eubanks: Kansas City Chiefs’ Tamarick Vanover; Houston Texans Fredrick
Bennett and Ceandris “C.C.” Brown; Philadelphia Eagles’ Correll
Buckhalter; James Butler and Etric Pruitt.
Two other players
are also still under investigation by the federal government.
Emily Payne is managing editor at BenefitsPRO.
A Wisconsin native, she spent the past eight years writing and editing for
various athletic and fitness publications. She holds an English degree and
Business certificate from the University of Wisconsin.
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