Trump Pardons Former Cowboys Star Nate Newton, Four Other Ex-NFL Players

President Donald Trump granted pardons to five former professional football players — including one posthumously — for offenses that ranged from perjury to drug trafficking. The clemency decisions were announced by White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson. The former NFL players receiving pardons were Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon.

Johnson announced the pardons on X.

"As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation," Johnson said in a post.

Trump did not comment on the clemency.

Today, the President granted pardons to five former NFL players—Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late great Dr. Billy Cannon.

As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation.

Special thanks… pic.twitter.com/Y4FC5lQwGE

— Alice Marie Johnson (@AliceMarieFree) February 13, 2026

What is a presidential pardon?

A presidential pardon is an act of clemency that forgives a federal crime and restores certain civil rights, such as the right to vote or serve on a jury. The authority comes from Article II of the U.S. Constitution, which gives the president power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.

A pardon does not erase or expunge a conviction, and it applies only to federal crimes — not state offenses. Presidents may also commute sentences, which reduces or eliminates prison time without forgiving the underlying conviction.

Ex-Dallas Cowboys player Nate Newton pardoned by Trump

Former Dallas Cowboy Nate Newton, an offensive lineman, pleaded guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge after authorities found $10,000 in his pickup truck and 175 pounds of marijuana in a separate vehicle driven by another man. Newton was a two-time All-Pro selection and earned six Pro Bowl honors.

The late Billy Cannon, a former Houston Oiler, was convicted of counterfeiting in the mid-1980s after a string of failed investments and mounting debts left him financially ruined.

Cannon was a two-time All-Pro selection and earned two Pro Bowl honors. He also won the 1959 Heisman Trophy as a standout at Louisiana State University, where he delivered one of college football’s most iconic moments — an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown against Ole Miss. He died in 2018.

The Houston Oilers relocated after the 1996 season, playing as the Tennessee Oilers in 1997 and 1998 before adopting the Tennessee Titans name in 1999.