by CHARLOTTE HAZARD | The National News Desk
Fri, February 13, 2026 at 11:07 AM
PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 1: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters and members of the media at Mar-a-Lago on February 1, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump is attending the wedding of Dan Scavino, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, and Erin Elmore, the Department of State Director of Art in Embassies, at Mar-a-Lago. (Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (TNND) — Five former [National Football League](https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/puerto-rican-musician-bad-bunnys-2026-national-football-league-nfl-super-bowl-seahawks-patriots-halftime-show-triggers-polarizing-reaction-latino-spanish-language-immigration-enforcement-president-trump-ice-homeland-security) (NFL) players were pardoned by President Donald Trump on Thursday.
_“As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again,” White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson wrote on X. “So is our nation. Special thanks to Jerry Jones for personally sharing the news with Nate Newton. I’m holding Nate’s pardon in my hands today—what a blessed day.”_
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The players pardoned were Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and Dr. Billy Cannon, who died of a stroke in 2018.
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Newton was an offensive lineman who pleaded guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge. Law enforcement found $10,000 in his pickup truck and over 150 pounds of marijuana in 2002.
Lewis used to play for the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. In 2000, he pleaded guilty to being involved in a drug case where he tried to set up a drug deal with his cell phone, [according to CBS News.](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-pardons-5-ex-nfl-players-crimes-including-drug-trafficking-joe-klecko-nate-newton-billy-cannon/)
In the mid 1980s, Cannon admitted to counterfeiting after he was broke from bad investments. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders.
Former New York Jets start Klecko pleaded guilty to perjury after he lied to a federal grand jury regarding insurance fraud.
“Special thanks to Jerry Jones for personally sharing the news with Nate Newton. I’m holding Nate’s pardon in my hands today—what a blessed day,” Johnson’s post concluded. “Grateful to @POTUS for his continued commitment to second chances. Mercy changes lives.”