Trump Pardons 5 Former NFL Players Including Nate Newton & Joe Klecko

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by Sam LanierFebruary 14, 2026, 2:06 am >

President Donald Trump has pardoned ex-NFL players Nate Newton, Joe Klecko, Travis Henry, Jamal Lewis and the late Billy Cannon.

Alice Marie Johnson, known as the White House “pardon czar,” announced the pardons on Thursday. Johnson took to social media to thank Trump, saying, the president is showing a continued commitment to second chances.”

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones shared the news with Newton, who won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys, Johnson announced.

Newton was a two-time All-Pro offensive lineman and made the Pro Bowl six times before he pleaded guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge in 2002. Authorities found $10,000 in his pickup truck along with 175 pounds of marijuana in an accompanying car that was driven by another man.

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Klecko was a former defensive lineman for the New York Jets, being a two-time All-Pro, and is a member of the Hall of Fame class of 2023. He pleaded guilty to perjury in 1993 after he lied to a federal grand jury investigating insurance fraud.

Henry was a running back for the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos, making the Pro Bowl in 2002 with the Bills. Henry pleaded guilty in 2009 to conspiracy to traffic cocaine and was financing a drug ring that moved between Montana and Colorado.

Lewis is the most notable player to be pardoned, being named AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2003 while a member of the Baltimore Ravens. Lewis pleaded guilty to using a cellphone to try to set up a drug deal shortly after he was drafted as the fifth overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.

Cannon was a two-time All-Pro, three-time AFL champion, and a former Heisman trophy winner when he was at LSU. Cannon admitted to counterfeiting in the mid-1980s after a series of bad investments left him broke. Cannon died in 2018.

The White House has yet to comment on why these players received pardons from Trump.