Former Texans player charged with NFL fraud in Houston
By Brian Rogers Published 4:42 pm CDT, Friday, September 7, 2018
TAMPA, FL - 2009: Jameel Cook of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers poses for his 2009 NFL headshot at photo day in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by NFL Photos)
A former Texans player has been charged with stealing more than $100,000 from a fund for NFL players, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Friday
Jameel Antwon Cook, 39, submitted false claims for benefits from a player funded health-reimbursement account, according to court records filed by the DA’s office in conjunction with the Texas Department of Insurance’s Fraud Unit.
The Gene Upshaw NFL Player Plan is for reimbursing former players for certain medical expenses and out of pocket health-insurance premiums.
Cook is alleged to have submitted 30 fraudulent claims between March 2016 and September 2017, court records show. No defense attorney is listed for Cook in court records.
Prosecutors said the majority of the claims were to pay insurance premiums that Cook claimed to have paid for himself or his family.
Cook, a fullback who played at Illinois, was drafted in 2001 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round and was part of the Buccaneer team that won the 2002 Super Bowl. He played for the Houston Texans for two years before returning to Tampa Bay to finish his career after nine seasons.
If convicted of securing the execution of documents by deception, a third degree felony, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
