February 13, 2026
Pardons were granted to five former NFL players—Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Dr. Billy Cannon.
President Trump has pardoned five former NFL players: Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, Joe Klecko, and the late Billy Cannon.
White House Pardon Czar, Alice Marie Johnson, took to social media to announce that President Donald Trump had granted clemency to the former football players.
“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. As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation.”
Three of the former NFL players were pardoned after pleading guilty to numerous drug charges.
Newton, an offensive lineman who played for the Washington Redskins, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Carolina Panthers between 1983 and 1999, had pleaded guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge after $10,000 was discovered by law enforcement in his pickup truck and 175 pounds of marijuana in another car driven by someone else. Newton was a two-time All-Pro player and six-time Pro Bowler.
Lewis, a former player for the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns, pleaded guilty in a drug case. He used a mobile phone in an attempted drug deal shortly before becoming a top pick in the 2000 NFL draft. The 2003 AP Offensive Player of the Year was an All-Pro who was selected to the Pro Bowl during his career. He played in the NFL from 2000 to 2009.
Henry, a running back who played in the league from 2001 until 2007, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine. He financed a drug ring that moved the cocaine between Colorado and Montana. The Pro Bowler played for the Buffalo Bills, the Tennessee Titans, and ended his career with the Denver Broncos.
Klecko, a defensive tackle who spent his career with the New York Jets and the Indianapolis Colts between 1977 and 1988, pleaded guilty to perjury after lying to a federal grand jury investigating insurance fraud. Klecko was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023 and was a four-time Pro Bowler.
Cannon, who died in 2018, played for the AFL (American Football League) and the NFL for the Houston Oilers, the Oakland Raiders, and the Kansas City Chiefs from 1960 to 1970, pleaded guilty to counterfeiting during the mid-1980s.
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