Trump pardons 5 former NFL players ranging from perjury to drug trafficking

Ex-NFL players Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon are all granted clemency.Published On 13 Feb 2026President Donald Trump has pardoned five former professional football players – one posthumously – for various crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking.The pardons were announced on Friday by White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson. Ex-NFL players Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon were granted clemency.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Ukraine’s Heraskevych has appeal for Winter Olympic reinstatement dismissedlist 2 of 4Real target top spot in La Liga as Sociedad head to Madrid – all to knowlist 3 of 4Milano Cortina acting as ‘propaganda for Russia’, says banned Heraskevychlist 4 of 4How India-Pakistan cricket relations went from bad to worse – a timelineend of list“As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation,” Johnson wrote on the social media site X, as she thanked Trump for his “continued commitment to second chances”.Johnson said Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones “personally” shared the news with Newton, who won three Super Bowls with the team.The White House did not return a request for comment Thursday night on why Trump, an avid sports fan, pardoned the players.Klecko, a former star for the New York Jets, pleaded guilty to perjury after lying to a federal grand jury that was investigating insurance fraud. A defensive lineman, Klecko was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023. He was a two-time Associated Press All-Pro player and a four-time Pro Bowler.Newton, an offensive lineman, pleaded guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge after authorities discovered $10,000 in his pick-up truck as well as 175 pounds (79kg) of marijuana in an accompanying car driven by another man. Newton was a two-time All-Pro player and six-time Pro Bowler.Lewis, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns, pleaded guilty in a drug case in which he used a cellphone to try to set up a drug deal not long after he was a top pick in the 2000 NFL draft. Lewis, a running back, was named an All-Pro once and was a one-time Pro Bowler. He was named the 2003 AP Offensive Player of the Year.