5 former NFL players pardoned by Trump for various crimes

Mohan Sinha
17 Feb 2026, 22:03 GMT+10

U.S. President Donald Trump pardoned five former professional football players this week for past crimes such as lying under oath and drug trafficking
One of the pardons was given after the player had already died
The players who received pardons were Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon

WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. President Donald Trump pardoned five former professional football players this week for past crimes such as lying under oath and drug trafficking.

One of the pardons was given after the player had already died. White House pardon official Alice Marie Johnson made the announcement.

The players who received pardons were Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon. Johnson wrote on the social media platform X that football shows how people can fall and rise again, and she thanked Trump for giving people second chances.

Johnson also said Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, personally told Nate Newton about the pardon. The White House did not explain why Trump chose to pardon these players.

Joe Klecko, a former star for the New York Jets, had admitted lying to a federal grand jury during an insurance fraud investigation. Despite this past crime, he was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.

Nate Newton pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking charge after police found cash and a large amount of marijuana connected to him. Jamal Lewis, who played for the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns, admitted he tried to arrange a drug deal using his phone.

Travis Henry, a former player for the Denver Broncos, pleaded guilty to helping finance a cocaine trafficking operation.

Billy Cannon, who played for the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders, and Kansas City Chiefs, admitted to counterfeiting money in the 1980s after financial problems.

Cannon had earlier won the Heisman Trophy in 1959 while playing for Louisiana State University. He died in 2018.