Former Super Bowl Champ Charged with Stealing Over $100K
A former NFL player who won a Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002 is in some hot water after being charged by authorities in Texas with insurance fraud.
Jameel Cook, 39, a fullback who played eight seasons in the NFL from 2001 to 2008, was charged by the Harris County, Texas, District Attorney’s Office with stealing about $100,000 from a health fund for NFL players.
Harris County DA Kim Ogg said Cook filed 30 bogus claims from the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Plan.
The Gene Upshaw Player Plan was created to reimburse former players for certain medical expenses and out-of-pocket health insurance premiums.
Jameel Cook charged with defrauding fund for retired players' health care https://t.co/VuiQfLCXNM
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 8, 2018
The allegedly bogus claims — totaling $100,000 — were filed between March 2016 and September 2017 for medical and other expenses.
The DA’s office alleges that most of the claims were for compensation for insurance premiums, which Cook said he had already paid for himself or his family.
Cook is charged with securing the execution of documents by deception, which is a third-degree felony.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Cook was a sixth-round draft pick by the Bucs in 2001 out of Illinois.
He played fullback, mostly in a reserve role, for Tampa Bay from 2001 to 2005.
Cook started one game at fullback during the Bucs’ Super Bowl-winning 2002 campaign.
His best year with Tampa Bay was 2003, when he started eight games and caught 20 passes for 120 yards.
In 2006 he signed with the Texans and played three seasons in Houston before retiring in 2008.
Cook’s best year in Houston was 2006, when he started six games and caught 18 passes for 107 yards.
For his career, Cook caught 84 passes for 510 yards and three scores and rushed 14 times for 43 yards with no touchdowns.
His son, Jameel Cook Jr., played safety at Indiana.
Still loving this clutch Jameel Cook 95-yard interception TD, @HoosierFootball fans? #BTNStandout http://t.co/axT19y1nNk
— Indiana On BTN (@IndianaOnBTN) September 13, 2015
He lives in Montgomery, about 50 miles northwest of Houston.
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