President Donald Trump pardoned five former NFL players on Thursday: Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon.
The full pardons, with no conditions specified, were announced by White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson via social media.
Klecko, a former New York Jets defensive lineman and 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, pleaded guilty to perjury in 1993 for lying to a federal grand jury investigating insurance fraud. He was a two-time AP All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler.
Newton, an offensive lineman who won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking in 2002 after authorities found cash and 175 pounds of marijuana linked to his vehicle. He was a two-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones personally informed Newton of the pardon.
Lewis, a running back for the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, pleaded guilty in a drug-related case involving cellphone use to arrange a deal soon after being drafted fifth overall in 2000. He earned All-Pro honors once, was a Pro Bowler, and was named the 2003 AP Offensive Player of the Year.
Henry, a running back who played for three teams, pleaded guilty in 2009 to conspiracy to traffic cocaine for financing a drug operation between Colorado and Montana. He was a one-time Pro Bowler.
Cannon, who starred for the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders, and Kansas City Chiefs and won the 1959 Heisman Trophy at LSU, admitted to counterfeiting in the mid-1980s amid financial troubles from bad investments. A two-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler, he died in 2018.
Johnson stated, “As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation,” thanking President Donald Trump for his commitment to second chances.
The White House provided no specific reasons for the pardons.
