Washington Football Team: Former Washington RB Clinton Portis facing 10 years in prison for healthcare fraud

The Washington Football Team has seen many great running backs past through the organization since it was founded back in 1932.

From John Riggins, the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, Larry Brown, Stephen Davis, and Alfred Morris, Washington truly has a rich history at the position. We could rattle off several more if we wanted to, but you get the point.

Unfortunately for Washington, arguably the second-best RB in franchise history has been a tremendous disappointment since his NFL career ended.

We’re talking about Clinton Portis, who has officially pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud charges and faces up to 10 years in prison as a result.

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Portis’ plea comes just one week after a jury couldn’t reach a decision in his criminal trial, so it was pretty surprising the former two-time Pro Bowler opted against standing trial for a second time.

Former Washington RB Clinton Portis faces up to a decade in prison.

Either way, this is still heartbreaking news for a Washington fan base that gravitated towards Portis after he was acquired from Denver for Champ Bailey and a second-round pick in one of the biggest trades in NFL history back in 2004.

Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Portis, in addition to the maximum 10-year jail sentence, faces a $250,000 fine, which is almost twice (!) the amount he pocketed from the fraud. As part of his plea deal, Portis admitted to making false claims to achieve benefits under the Gene Upshaw NFL Players Health Reimbursement Account Plan. The 40-year-old will pay $99,264 in restitution to the plan.

The downward post-NFL spiral sadly continues for Portis, who filed for bankruptcy protection back in 2015. For fans who are unaware, the former Washington star was already facing imprisonment for failure to pay child support.

Per court documents, Portis owes nearly $150,000 plus interest in child support after failing to fulfill a single monthly obligation.

We’re rooting for Portis to turn his life around, but he’s dug himself a pretty deep hole so fans shouldn’t expect it to happen overnight.

A former second-round pick of the Broncos back in 2002, Portis played seven years in Washington and finished as the franchise’s second-leading rusher. He made the Pro Bowl in 2008 when he totaled 1,487 yards on the ground (which finished third in the NFL) and nine touchdowns on 4.3 yards per carry.

We’ll provide updates on Portis’ legal situation as they’re made available. For now, we’re hopeful his guilty plea signifies that he’s finally taking responsibility for his mistakes and is eager to get his life back on track.

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