Trump pardons 5 former NFL stars for wide-ranging crimes

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President Donald Trump pardoned five former NFL players on Thursday night.

White House pardon czar Alice Mary Johnson announced the pardons in a post on social media. Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon were granted clemency.

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President Donald Trump listens during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

"As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation," Johnson wrote in a post on X.

She added that Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones shared the news "personally" with Newton, who was a three-time Super Bowl winner with the Cowboys.

Klecko, a former New York Jets star and Pro Football Hall of Famer, pleaded guilty to perjury when he lied to a federal grand jury that was investigating insurance fraud.

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Dallas Cowboys guard Nate Newton (61) in action against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on Nov. 10, 1996. (James D. Smith/USA TODAY Sports)

Newton, who was a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection, pleaded guilty to a federal drug-trafficking charge after law enforcement discovered $10,000 in his pickup truck as well as 175 pounds of marijuana in a vehicle in an accompanying car driven by another man.

Lewis, who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens, pleaded guilty in a drug case in which he used a cellphone to try to set up a drug deal soon after his former team selected him with the No. 5 overall pick of the 2000