Daughter Charged For Collecting NFL Pension Checks Long After Father’s Death
John Helwig hasn’t played in the NFL since the 1950s. He hasn’t been alive since 1994. But that hasn’t stopped his daughter, Constance Helwig-Langlois, from allegedly collecting money from his NFL pension plan.
According to Yahoo News, Constance was charged with fraud on Wednesday in Detroit. She is the daughter of John Helwig, who played for the Chicago Bears in the 1950s. Helwig passed away in 1994 but the NFL continued to send checks to his Detroit home.
Why? Well, according to federal prosecutors, Helwig’s wife, Ruth, told the NFL that her husband was still alive on at least two occasions. When Ruth passed away in 2007, her daughter, Constance, kept the lie going.
Federal prosecutors say that Constance continued to cash in her father’s pension checks until 2011. In total, the Helwig family collected more than $200,000 since John’s death in 1994.
According to NFL.com, Helwig attended Notre Dame before being drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1953. He remained on the team until 1956.
The NFL may be a little upset with the Helwig family for collecting pension checks long after John’s death but the league doesn’t always cut off funding when a player dies. The family of Jovan Belcher, who killed himself shortly after killing his girlfriend earlier this month, will receive plenty of money from the league over the next few leagues. Belcher’s 3-month old daughter is expected to receive millions from the league before she turns 18.
