deliver with Vardy suspended, Mahrez ope

NEWARK, N.J. -- A TV analyst for Major League Soccers Philadelphia Union pleaded guilty Tuesday to receiving nearly $500,000 in kickbacks for filling unneeded prescriptions for himself and recruiting others to the scheme.Peter Pappas, of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court in Newark to conspiracy to commit health fraud. Hours later, the Union announced that Pappas contract had been terminated. The pharmaceutical salesman admitted he was recruited by a marketing company that was paid by pharmacies to refer people whose insurance paid for compounded medication including pain creams, scar creams and vitamins.Pappas admitted that he recruited others to join the scheme, including people using a health benefit program for service members and their families managed by the U.S. Department of Defense. He admitted that he attempted to recruit beneficiaries from TRICARE because they gave high reimbursements for compounded medication and cream, federal prosecutors said.Prosecutors said that while he received $481,773 from the marketing company, his employer, TRICARE and other insurance companies lost at least $3.69 million. Pappas faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on Oct. 25.The former goalkeeper on the defunct Philadelphia Kixx indoor soccer team has been the Unions TV analyst since 2014. He is a district sales manager for New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company Celgene, according to his LinkedIn page.On Twitter, he described himself as a Canadian former soccer pro turned Rx slinger.Pappas LinkedIn and Twitter pages were no longer available online late Tuesday afternoon.Pappas signed the plea deal in May, but Tim McDermott, the chief business officer for the Union, said that the team didnt find out about it until Tuesday.After reviewing the situation, we have decided to part ways with Peter Pappas, McDermott said in a statement. We want to thank him for his hard work and service to the club.Neither Celgene nor Pappas attorneys returned messages seeking comment. Custom Titans T-shirts . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. Cheap Custom Titans Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.customtitansjersey.com/custom-jeffery-simmons-jersey-large-71g.html . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. Custom Jeffery Simmons Jersey . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. Authentic Custom Titans Jersey . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday.Riyad Mahrez lost out to Leicester City team-mate Jamie Vardy for the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award on Monday. Adam Bate explains why Mahrez got his vote… Everyone loves a winger. David Ginola and Gareth Bale were both rewarded with the FWA Footballer of the Year award. Riyad Mahrez wont be joining them just yet, but hes already set to do what those two did not do - propel his team to a Premier League title. Vardy wins FWA award Jamie Vardy named Football Writers Association Footballer of the Year for 2015/16. The numbers tell some of the story. Mahrez has scored 17 goals and provided 11 assists, putting him level with Jamie Vardy as the most effective player in the Premier League. Its difficult to overstate his importance to the team. Champions need flair as well as functionality. Even Watford have a dogged defence, having conceded the same amount of goals as the Foxes as recently as February. But they didnt have a Mahrez.In a team full of heroes, he still stands out. Both Vardy and NGolo Kante have been integral but Leicester have actually coped without them. Without Mahrez on the pitch in this seasons Premier League, they have conceded twice as many goals as theyve scored. Mahrez impact Player Dribbles Player Clear chances created Wilfried Zaha 127 Mesut Ozil 26 Riyad Mahrez 117 Riyad Mahrez 17 Ross Barkley 111 Dimitri Payet 13 He ranks in the top two in the Premier League for dribbles and clear-cut chances created. Hes twisted and hes turned. Hes sold the dummies and the defenders have just kept buying them. Hes been fun to watch and given the impression it was even more fun to play.I was a street footballer, he told Sky Sports recently. Every day, I was on the street dribbling, doing skills. I wasnt in an academy till I was 19. The lung-busting hunger of Vardy might be more conspicuous but Mahrez has his own story too.Perhaps the journey from Sarcelles - a dangerous ghetto, according to the man himself - doesnt evoke the same everyman qualities for English audiences, but it should. Mahrez battled for an amateur contract in Frances fourth tier. A trial at St Mirren didnt work out. Jamie Redknapp highlighted Mahrezs all-round game after the 4-0 win over Swansea As recently as 2014, one month shy of his 23rd birthday, he was with Le Havre in the French second division.dddddddddddd. Those spindly limbs didnt convince everyone of their capacity to cope in tougher conditions but Leicesters technical scouts looked at the stats and took a chance.Nigel Pearson trusted his talent but Mahrez was still an unused substitute on numerous occasions last season - most notably in the April win at Burnley that lifted Leicester out of the bottom three. Hes a more effective player now and that owes much to his dedication to improve.In the wake of Mahrezs PFA Player of the Year award, manager Claudio Ranieri said: I am very proud because Riyad is a very humble man. He asks every time, What can I do to improve? That is fantastic. He is a genius, our light. Mahrez has found a unique role for himself in Claudio Ranieris team In a recent interview with LEquipe, Mahrez spoke of the headaches brought about by Claudio Ranieris attention to detail on the tactical work. The instincts of the street footballer remain. I want so much be that player, the player who improvises, he admitted. But hes worked at it.Its been reflected in his efforts. While the compact team shape has been a feature of Leicesters success and theres a beauty in the simplicity of the roles of many within the line-up, the onus is on Mahrez to do something different. He has to pick his moments to gamble. Mahrez scored in a 3-1 win away to Manchester City in February We know hes a wide player, Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports. But the amount of times he finds himself between the lines, hes not just a headless chicken going in there. Its being in there and being decisive at the right time. Thats understanding. Thats reading the game.More often than not hes read it right. Mahrez scored in the first three games of the season - a brace against Sunderland, the winner versus West Ham and what turned out to be a significant late equaliser at home to Tottenham. Those goals alone were worth five points.By March, his goals had earned the team 20 points - and it wouldve been four more but for a couple of penalty misses. During the run-in, there were fine finishes in 1-0 wins over Watford and Crystal Palace. A brief dip followed but Mahrez has done it when it mattered. Needing to deliver with Vardy suspended, Mahrez opened the scoring against Swansea, settling the nerves and leaving Leicester on the brink. There was no goal against Manchester United on Sunday but his second-half dribbling relieved the pressure nevertheless.You were wondering whod step up, said Carragher of that win over Swansea. There was no need. Mahrez has been the decisive figure at the decisive time in the team of the season. Maybe even bigger things await, but this will always be his year - Leicesters year. He deserves every award going. Also See: Vardy wins FWA award Souness in awe of Leicester WATCH: Did Leicester get lucky? WATCH: LVG, Ranieri respect ' ' '