Playing professional football comes with big paychecks, but also expensive medical bills. As such, the NFL in 2006 established the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan, a health benefits plan for former players. And on Thursday, 10 former players were arrested for allegedly defrauding the health care plan. The charges include conspiracy, wire fraud and health care fraud.

"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," Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski said in a statement.

From June 2017 to December 2018, the 10 former players allegedly submitted false claims totaling $3.9 million for expensive medical equipment that was never actually purchased, including ultrasound machines and hyperbaric chambers, according to CNN.

The claims were flagged by Cigna as potentially fraudulent and referred to federal investigators.

The ten players include former Redskins players Clinton Portis, Robert McCune, Carlos Rogers and John Eubanks: Kansas City Chiefs' Tamarick Vanover; Houston Texans Fredrick Bennett and Ceandris "C.C." Brown; Philadelphia Eagles' Correll Buckhalter; James Butler and Etric Pruitt.

Two other players are also still under investigation by the federal government.

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10 former players charged in $3 million NFL benefits scam

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