President Donald Trump on Feb. 12 pardoned five former NFL players, a move the White House said was the latest example of his continued commitment to second chances.
The players who received presidential pardons were Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and Billy Cannon, who is now deceased. The pardons clear them of criminal convictions ranging from perjury to drug-related offenses and counterfeiting.
Klecko, 72, is a celebrated defensive lineman best known for his years with the New York Jets. During his 12-year career, he made four Pro Bowls and earned two All-Pro selections, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
He was convicted in 1993 and sentenced to three months in prison for perjury. Prosecutors said he lied to a grand jury in 1991 about a claim he submitted for paint damage to his pickup truck, which was linked to a bigger auto insurance fraud scheme.
Newton, 64, helped anchor the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive line during a run that produced three Super Bowl titles. He was arrested multiple times on drug-related charges in the 1990s, including for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, in cases that took place during and shortly after his playing career.
Lewis, 46, played nine seasons in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2001. In 2003, he rushed for 2,066 yards, one of the highest single-season totals in league history.
In 2005, Lewis pleaded guilty to using a cellphone to facilitate a drug transaction connected to a broader federal investigation. He served time during the 2007 offseason and later returned to the league.
Henry, 47, played for the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, and Denver Broncos. In 2009, he was sentenced to three years in federal prison on drug trafficking charges after authorities said he helped finance a drug ring that shipped cocaine between Colorado and Montana.
Cannon, who played halfback, won the 1959 Heisman Trophy at Louisiana State University and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He went on to play in the AFL and NFL and earned two All-Pro selections during an 11-year professional career.
Cannon pleaded guilty in 1983 for his role in a counterfeiting operation involving millions of dollars in fake currency and served three years in federal prison. He later became a dentist and died in 2018 at age 80.
“As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation,” White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson said in a statement on X. “Grateful to [Trump] for his continued commitment to second chances. Mercy changes lives.”
Johnson also wrote a special thanks to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for personally sharing the news with Newton.
In 2018, Trump issued a posthumous pardon to legendary boxer Jack Johnson, who was convicted in 1913 by an all-white jury under a Jim Crow-era law for taking his white girlfriend across state lines from Pittsburgh to Chicago.
