Former Philadelphia Eagles RB Correll Buckhalter named in fraud case
Former Philadelphia Eagles running back Correll Buckhalter finds himself in the middle of some controversy.
Over the course of his NFL career, Correl Buckhalter ran for 2,944 rushing yards. He tacked on another 1,410 receiving yards, and he reached the end zone 27 times over the course of a successful ten-year career. Injuries would prevent him from reaching his full potential, but ask any ‘Birds’ fan, and they’ll tell you.
You can’t tell the story of the Andy Reid era without including him. Just think about that long breakaway run versus the Dallas Cowboys. ‘Buck’ spent eight years in Philly before a two-year stint with the Denver Broncos put the finishing touches on his career.
Now, he’s on the minds of Eagles fans for another reason. He’s been named among ten former NFL players who have been accused of defrauding the league’s retiree health care benefits plan for well over $3 million. Robert McCune, John Eubanks, Tamarick Vanover, Ceandris Brown, Carlos Rogers, Etric Pruitt, Fred Bennett, and James Butler are the other nine.
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According to several sources, after an FBI investigation, the Justice Department filed charges Thursday morning in the Eastern District of Kentucky. All ten players have been charged by a federal grand jury. Four were arrested: McCune, Eubanks, Brown and Rogers. At the time of this story being published, the belief is the other six will turn themselves in.
The scheme, which lasted from June 2017 to December 2018, led to just under $4 million in false and fraudulent claims. Here’s a statement from U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky Robert M. Duncan Jr.:
"Ten former NFL players allegedly committed a brazen, multi-million dollar fraud on a health care plan meant to help their former teammates and other retired players pay legitimate, out-of-pocket medical expenses… The defendants allegedly submitted false claims to the plan and obtained money for expensive medical equipment that was never purchased or received, depriving that plan of valuable resources to help others meet their medical needs."
Keep an eye on this one, but for all of the players involved, this seems to be the beginning of a long nightmare for them and their families. We’ll all have to wait and see what transpires going forward.