{"id":752002,"date":"2026-02-14T16:52:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T16:52:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/752002\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T16:52:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T16:52:34","slug":"donald-trump-mysteriously-pardons-five-nfl-players-out-of-the-blue-for-crimes-including-drug-trafficking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/752002\/","title":{"rendered":"Donald Trump mysteriously pardons five NFL players out of the blue for crimes including drug trafficking"},"content":{"rendered":"

By OLIVER SALT, US ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR<\/a> and JON MICHAEL RAASCH, US POLITICAL REPORTER<\/a> <\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 09:32 EST, 13 February 2026 | Updated: 13:09 EST, 13 February 2026 <\/p>\n

President Donald Trump<\/a> pardoned five former professional football players – one posthumously – for various crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking somewhat out of the blue on Thursday.<\/p>\n

The pardons were announced by White House<\/a> pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson. Ex-NFL players Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon were granted the clemency.<\/p>\n

‘The story of football is a story of resilience – the belief that the next snap still matters. This past week, as millions of Americans watched the Super Bowl<\/a>, we were reminded that second chances are woven into the game itself – and into our national character,’ Johnson said in a statement provided to Daily Mail.<\/p>\n

‘In granting pardons to Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Dr. Billy Cannon, the President affirmed a simple American truth: that accountability and mercy can stand together, and that when second chances are earned and extended, families are restored and the common good is strengthened.’<\/p>\n

Johnson said Dallas Cowboys<\/a> owner Jerry Jones ‘personally’ shared the news with Newton, who won three Super Bowls with the team.<\/p>\n

Klecko, a former New York Jets<\/a>\u00a0star and Pro Football Hall of Famer, pleaded guilty to perjury in 1993 after lying to a federal grand jury that was investigating insurance fraud.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Donald <\/p>\n

Donald Trump pardoned five former professional football players for various crimes Thursday<\/p>\n

\"Nate \"Joe <\/p>\n

Nate Newton (left) was granted the clemency 25 years after pleading guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge, while Joe Klecko (right)\u00a0pleaded guilty to perjury in 1993<\/p>\n

\"Billy <\/p>\n

Billy Cannon, who died in 2018, was also pardoned over counterfeiting charges in the mid-80s<\/p>\n

A defensive lineman, Klecko was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023. He was a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Newton, an offensive lineman, pleaded guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge after authorities discovered $10,000 in his pickup truck as well as 175 pounds of marijuana in an accompanying car driven by another man in 2001.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As well as winning three Super Bowls at the back end of his career with the Cowboys, he was also a two-time All-Pro player and six-time Pro Bowler.<\/p>\n

Lewis, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns, pleaded guilty in a drug case in which he used a cellphone to try to set up a drug deal not long after he was a top pick in the 2000 NFL draft.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The running back was named an All-Pro once and was a one-time Pro Bowler over the course of his career, in which he became Super Bowl champion with the Ravens in 2001.<\/p>\n

Henry, who played for the Denver Broncos, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine in 2009 for financing a drug ring that moved the drug between Colorado and Montana. He was a running back for three teams and a one-time Pro Bowler.<\/p>\n

And Cannon – who played with the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs – admitted to counterfeiting in the mid-1980s after a series of bad investments and debts left him broke.<\/p>\n

The halfback and tight end was a two-time All-Pro player and a two-time Pro Bowler. He also won the 1959 Heisman Trophy while starring for Louisiana State University, where he had one of the most memorable plays in college football history: an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown against Ole Miss. He died in 2018.<\/p>\n

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\n Donald Trump mysteriously pardons five NFL players out of the blue for crimes including drug trafficking<\/p>\n