Cleveland Browns

Ex-Browns player says concussions might explain why he stole from charity

Published Apr. 13, 2016 3:39 p.m. ET

foxsports

The attorney for former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Reggie Rucker says that concussions could be to blame for Rucker's gambling issues that led him to steal from his own charitable foundations.

Rucker recently pled guilty to charges stemming from an embezzlement scandal, in which he stole nearly $100,000 from non-profits Amer-I-Can Cleveland and the Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance. Rucker, who helped run both organizations, is scheduled to be sentenced next month on charges of wire fraud and making false statements to the FBI.

On Tuesday, Rucker's attorneys requested to delay the May 23 sentencing because Rucker is currently participating in a study at the National Institute of Health that is examining the long-term symptoms of traumatic brain injury, and he is supposed to undergo another test in June.

According to Cleveland.com, Rucker indicated that he will rely on concussions that he suffered during his 13-year NFL career as a possible explanation for his criminal behavior when he goes in front of a judge for sentencing.

Michael Hennenberg, an attorney representing Rucker, said the former Browns player suffered seven or eight concussions that he knows of during his 13-year career. Three of those came as a result of blows that knocked him unconscious, the attorney said.

Such injuries are known to cause impulsiveness and compulsiveness, both of which may play into Rucker's crimes, Hennenberg said.

Court documents state that Rucker withdrew more than $50,000 from the nonprofits between 2011 and February 2015, including $38,000 withdrawn from casino ATMs and tens of thousands of dollars he used to pay off gambling debts.

Under a plea agreement he reached with prosecutors, Rucker will likely spend 21 to 27 months in prison and will have to pay restitution of $95,000 to $150,000. Cleveland.com notes that he also enrolled in the Ohio Casino Control Commission's lifetime irrevocable exclusion program in March, meaning he can no longer legally gamble at casinos in the state.

After last month's sentencing at a Cleveland courthouse, Rucker spoke with reporters and publicly apologized for his actions and said he intends to pay the money back.