President Trump pardoned five former NFL players convicted of crimes such as perjury, drug trafficking, and counterfeiting U.S. currency.
Alice Marie Johnson, Trump’s pardon czar, announced the pardons in a social media statement. “Today, the President granted pardons to five former NFL players—Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late great Dr. Billy Cannon,” she wrote on X. “As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation. Special thanks to Jerry Jones for personally sharing the news with Nate Newton. I’m holding Nate’s pardon in my hands today—what a blessed day.”
She went on to thank President Trump for his “continued commitment to second chances.”
Johnson herself was pardoned by President Trump in 2020 after serving 22 years of a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense.
Klecko, a former defensive lineman for the New York Jets, was sentenced to three months in prison in 1993 for committing perjury in an insurance fraud case.
Newton, who played for the Dallas Cowboys, received 30 months in prison on federal drug trafficking charges in 2022.
Cannon, who passed away in 2018, admitted to counterfeiting in 1983. He played for the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs.
Lewis, who played for the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns, was charged in 2004 for attempting to engage in a drug deal.
Henry, formerly a running back for the Buffalo Bills, pleaded guilty in 2009 to conspiracy to traffic cocaine.
