"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. Ex-NFL players Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon were granted the clemency. "As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation," Johnson wrote on the social media site X, as she thanked Trump for his "continued commitment to second chances.""
"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. Lewis, a running back, was named an All-Pro once and was a one-time Pro Bowler. He was named the 2003 AP Offensive Player of the Year."
"A defensive lineman, Klecko was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023. He was a two-time Associated Press All-Pro player and a four-time Pro Bowler. 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. Newton was a two-time All-Pro player and six-time Pro Bowler."
President Donald Trump granted pardons to five former NFL players, including one posthumously, for convictions ranging from perjury to drug trafficking. The clemency recipients were Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon. Alice Marie Johnson announced the pardons and praised resilience and second chances, noting Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones personally shared the news with Newton. Klecko had pleaded guilty to perjury and was later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Newton pleaded guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge involving cash and a large quantity of marijuana. Lewis and Henry pleaded guilty to separate drug-related offenses.
Read at www.npr.org
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