DOVER, Del. — Clinton Portis, a former NFL running back who accumulated just under 10,000 rushing yards during his nine-year career and made two Pro Bowl appearances, has accepted the position of running backs coach and run game coordinator at Delaware State University.
The announcement of Portis’s hiring was shared via social media by the Hornets on Thursday. His appointment places him alongside notable NFL figures like DeSean Jackson at Delaware State and Michael Vick, the head coach at Norfolk State, along with Eddie George at Tennessee State, all of whom have taken roles at historically Black colleges and universities. Previous to this, Deion Sanders had a coaching stint at Jackson State before moving to Colorado.
A member of Miami’s 2001 national championship squad, Portis earned the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honor in 2002 after achieving 1,508 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns while playing for the Denver Broncos. In 2004, Portis was traded to the Washington Redskins, where he enjoyed four seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards before being released following the 2010 season.
In a significant legal matter, Portis was sentenced in 2022 to six months in federal prison along with an additional six months of home confinement after he pled guilty to conspiracy involving health care fraud. He was one of 15 former NFL players who admitted to participating in a scheme to defraud a program designed to reimburse medical expenses that weren’t covered by insurance for retired athletes and their families.