Former NFL player Jameel Cook is facing criminal charges after authorities say he submitted false claims to a fund to help retired players pay for their health care needs.
Prosecutors say Cook submitted 30 false claims for benefits from the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account. He allegedly received $100,000 in reimbursement for expenses that didn’t exist.
The charge against Cook is a third-degree felony, and he faces up to 10 years in prison.
A fullback who grew up in Miami and played his college football at Illinois, Cook was a sixth-round pick of the Buccaneers in 2001 and played eight NFL seasons for the Bucs and Texans.
