Trump pardons 5 former NFL players for crimes from perjury to drug trafficking
WASHINGTON– WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday pardoned five former professional football players — one posthumously — for various crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking.
The pardons were announced by White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson. Former NFL players Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon received the pardon.
“As football reminds us, greatness is built on courage, grace and the courage to get back up. So does our nation,” Johnson wrote on the social media site X, while thanking Trump for his “continued commitment to second chances.”
Johnson said Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones “personally” shared the news with Newton, who won three Super Bowls with the team.
The White House did not respond Thursday evening to a request for comment on why Trump, a sports enthusiast, pardoned the players.
Klecko, a former New York Jets star, pleaded guilty to perjury after lying to a federal grand jury investigating insurance fraud. A defensive lineman, Klecko was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023. He was a two-time Associated Press All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler.
Newton, an offensive lineman, pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge after authorities discovered $10,000 in his pickup truck as well as 175 pounds of marijuana in a car driven by another man. Newton was a two-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler.
Lewis, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, pleaded guilty in a drug case in which he used a cell phone to try to complete a drug deal shortly after being a top pick in the 2000 NFL draft. Lewis, a running back, was named All-Pro once and was a Pro Bowler. He was named the 2003 AP Offensive Player of the Year.
Henry, who played for the Denver Broncos, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine for financing a drug ring that transported the drugs between Colorado and Montana. He was a running back for three teams and a former Pro Bowler.
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 bankrupt.
Cannon was a two-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler. Cannon also won the 1959 Heisman Trophy while playing for Louisiana State University, where he made 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.
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Anderson reported from Las Vegas.
