Rufus French
American football player (born 1978)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joel Rufus French (born March 15, 1978) is an American former college football player who was a tight end for the Ole Miss Rebels. He was a two-time All-American, earning unanimous honors in 1998.[1] He was also a member of the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), but never played in a regular season NFL game.
| No. 9 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Tight end |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 15, 1978 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 256 lb (116 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Amory (Amory, Mississippi) |
| College | Ole Miss |
| NFL draft | 1999: undrafted |
| Career history | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
Early life
Joel Rufus French played football and baseball at Amory High School in Amory, Mississippi.[2][3] He was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 30th round of the 1996 MLB June Amateur Draft.[4][5][6]
College career
French chose to play football for the Ole Miss Rebels. He was a unanimous All-American in 1998. French was a first-team All-SEC selection in 1997 and 1998.[7][8][9] He was a finalist for the Conerly Trophy in 1998. French finished his college career with 84 receptions, 814 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.[10] He chose to forgo his senior season and enter the 1999 NFL draft.[11][12]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+1⁄4 in (1.91 m) | 256 lb (116 kg) | 34 in (0.86 m) | 8+1⁄4 in (0.21 m) | 4.84 s | 1.67 s | 2.78 s | 4.50 s | 7.78 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) | 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m) | 20 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[13][14] | ||||||||||||
French signed with the Seattle Seahawks after going undrafted in the 1999 NFL draft.[15] He missed the 2000 season while recovering from a knee injury. He was released by the Seahawks on August 5, 2001.[16] French never played in a regular season NFL game.
French was signed by the Green Bay Packers on March 26, 2002.[16] He was released by the Packers on July 23, 2002.[16]
Legal issues
In April 2024, French was charged for his alleged involvement in an over $70 million fraud case.[17][3] French, who managed several durable medical equipment companies, and his co-conspirators used illegally obtained doctors orders to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary medical equipment.[17]
In May 2026, French was sentenced to 196 months in prison and ordered to pay over $110 million in restitution.[18]