Three former football players pleaded guilty to defrauding an NFL health reimbursement plan as part of a nationwide scheme.
Clinton Portis, Tamarick Vanover and Robert McCune pleaded guilty to submitting fraudulent claims to the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan, according to a Sept. 7 Department of Justice news release.
The plan serves to reimburse players for out-of-pocket medical costs not covered by insurance, but the fraud scheme, orchestrated by Mr. McCune, resulted in $2.5 million in fraudulent payouts. The other two players participated in or recruited other former players to participate in the scheme.
A total of 15 former NFL players have been indicted in relation to the scheme, according to the release.