Clinton Portis, who locally played football at Gainesville High School and went onto play in the NFL, has been sentenced in for his role in a multimillion dollar defrauding NFL health care scheme.
Multiple reports states that the defrauding NFL health care scheme involved 15 former NFL players. The running back will serve six months in federal prison and six months of home detention. There were a wide variety of sentences given to the other individuals involved.
Portis posted a message on his Instagram following the verdict
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYaXvuUMwip/
In addition to the Instagram post, Portis also posted a quote on his Instagram story that says, “You can’t pull my card cause I’m really ME. Whatever you got to say about me ima own up to or speak on it. You can’t embarrass me or make me feel uncomfortable. I’m SOLID.”
He than added the hashtag #appeciatethesupport.
Football career
Clinton Portis attended Gainesville High School and then continued his academic and football career at the University of Miami from 1999-2002. Portis also ran track for the Hurricanes.
Per umsportshalloffame.com, Portis has been recognized for his talent on the field since he was in high school, being named the Gainesville Sun Football Player of the Year and recognized state-wide and nation-wide.
The former Miami Hurricane contributed to the Hurricanes success in 2001 when defeating Nebraska in the National Championship football game. In his junior season, he rushed a total of 1,200 yards. Playing three seasons at Miami, he then declared for the NFL draft in 2002.
As the 51st pick in the second round, Portis was selected by the Denver Broncos where he played two seasons. In 2004, Portis then played for Washington for the rest of his NFL career.
According to statista.com, Portis rushed for a total of 6,824 yards for Washington. With the Broncos, Portis was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
History of Financial Issues
The running back has endured a sequence of financial issues within the past decade following his professional football career.
A USA Today report states that in 2015 Portis filed for bankruptcy. USA Today reported information about the defrauding scheme in 2019. Per alachuachronicle.com, there was a warrant for Portis’s arrest for failure of paying child support in August 2021. The article states that he also did not show up for his court hearings.
The verdict
The two-time Probowler will serve his sentence in March according to the Lexington Herald Leader. The lack of Portis’ corporation in the early stages also played a factor in the sentencing, the article states.