Portis is handed 6-month sentence
Former Denver and Washington running back Clinton Portis was sentenced Thursday to six months in federal prison and six months of home detention after he pleaded guilty in September to participating in a scheme to defraud a health-care plan for retired NFL players.
Portis, 40, admitted he “knowingly and voluntarily” joined a conspiracy to commit health-care fraud. He was accused of pocketing almost $100,000 from false claims.
In all, 15 former NFL players have pleaded guilty in the scheme, which prosecutors said illegally siphoned millions from the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan. Portis was one of three members of that group who took their cases to trial; the other two were former linebacker Robert McCune, described by prosecutors as a ringleader of the scheme, and former wide receiver Tamarick Vanover.
After a trial for Portis and Vanover resulted in a hung jury, they took a plea before a retrial was set to begin. Vanover is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 22.
Portis, who told Sports Illustrated in 2017 that almost all of the money he set aside from $43.1 million earned in his NFL career was drained away by scam artists posing as money managers, is expected to report to prison in March.
He rushed for 9,923 yards and 75 touchdowns and caught 247 passes for 2,018 yards and five scores in nine NFL seasons.
The 12 players who pleaded guilty before a trial were Fred Bennett, C.C. Brown, Correll Buckhalter, James Butler, Reche Caldwell, John Eubanks, Joe Horn, Anthony Montgomery, Antwan Odom, Etric Pruitt, Darrell Reid and Carlos Rogers. Caldwell was shot and killed in Tampa, Fla., last June.
Packers’ Hackett to talk with Jags
Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said he plans to interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars about their head coaching vacancy next week.
The Packers (13-3) have clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed and lone first-round playoff bye, so they won’t be playing when the postseason begins next week.
Hackett, 42, was the Jaguars’ quarterbacks coach in 2015 and 2016 and offensive coordinator from 2016 to 2018 before getting fired in the middle of the 2018 season. The Jaguars reached the AFC championship game in the 2017 season.
Odds and ends
A day after rookie linebacker Micah Parsons went on the COVID list, the Cowboys placed offensive tackle Tyron Smith and corenerback Anthony Brown on the list going into Saturday’s game in Philadelphia against the Eagles.
The Steelers placed top wide receiver Diontae Johnson and center Kenrick Green on the COVID-19 list, meaning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger probably will be without them Sunday at Baltimore in what’s expected to be his final game. ...
The Ravens put Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard (knee) on injured reserve, while quarterback Lamar Jackson (ankle) and wide receiver Marquise Brown (ankle) were among those missing practice. …
The Kansas City Chiefs likely will be without running back Clyde EdwardsHelaire (shoulder) for the second straight week when they visit Denver on Saturday. ...
The Bears placed quarterback Justin Fields on the COVID list, likely ending his rookie season. …
The Colts put former Rice safety Andrew Sendejo on the COVID list.