Clinton Portis once played for the proud franchise of the Washington Football Team. He was a two-time Pro Bowl tailback who played the final seven years of his nine-year career with Washington. Sadly, there is nothing proud to report from Portis these days.
On Thursday, Clinton Portis was sentenced for his role in a nationwide scheme to defraud the NFL's healthcare benefit program for league veterans. He, along with two other men were charged in the case. Portis was sentenced to six months in prison for his role in the scheme.
Ex- #NFL star Clinton Portis has just been ordered to spend six months in prison … after pleading guilty to defrauding a plan designed to help retired players pay for medical bills. #WashingtonFootball
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) January 6, 2022
Portis reportedly obtained nearly $100,000 fraudulently. He, along with other former NFL players Antwan Odom, Carlos Rogers and Joe Horn were indicted back in 2019. The crime enterprise looked to extract more than $2 million using false reimbursement claims.
The NFL had set up a reimbursement account for former NFL players to help cover medical fees accrued after retirement.
The District Attorney had initially recommended a 10-16 month prison sentence for Portis. Portis' counsel countered, submitting a sentencing memorandum to request a sentence of “time serves.” That would have kept the former Washington tailback from having to spend any time in prison. The judge split the difference and sentenced him to six months.
Clinton Portis filed for bankruptcy back in 2015 and lost nearly all of his business prospects since first being arrested. Other former NFL players have come to the defense of Portis, including Takeo Spikes, Edgerrin James and Washington teammate London Fletcher.
Portis was among the best running backs in football in the early part of the 21st century. During his first four healthy seasons for Washington, Portis rushed for over 5,500 yards. He finished his career rushing for over 9,000 yards, scoring 80 touchdowns.
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