Trump Pardons 5 Former NFL Players

President Trump has pardoned five former NFL players, one of them posthumously, for a variety of offenses. In a post on X Thursday night, White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson said Trump had granted presidential pardons to Hall of Famer Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and "the late great Dr. Billy Cannon," who died in 2018, the New York Times reports. "As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation," Johnson wrote, thanking Trump for his "continued commitment to second chances." She also thanked Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for personally breaking the news to Newton.

• Klecko, 72, a defensive lineman from the New York Jets' "New York Sack Exchange," was convicted in 1993 in a bankruptcy-fraud case tied to a troubled business venture and false car insurance claims. He served three months in prison.
• Newton, 64, a key member of the Dallas Cowboys' 1990s "Great Wall of Dallas" offensive line, was arrested multiple times on drug charges, including marijuana possession with intent to distribute, during and after his three-Super Bowl run in Dallas.
• Lewis, 46, pleaded guilty in 2005 to using a cell phone to help set up a cocaine deal. He served time in 2007 before returning to the league, where he had already posted a 2,066-yard rushing season with the Baltimore Ravens and won a Super Bowl in 2000.
• Henry, 47, a former Pro Bowl running back for the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, and Denver Broncos, was sentenced in 2009 to three years in federal prison for financing and distributing large quantities of cocaine, a case that effectively ended his seven-year career.
• Cannon, who won the 1959 Heisman Trophy at Louisiana State University, before playing with the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders, and Kansas City Chiefs, pleaded guilty to counterfeiting in 1983 after bad investments left him broke, the AP reports. He served three years in prison and later became a dentist. The Times reports that his 89-yard punt return for a touchdown against Ole Miss is one of the most famous plays in the history of college football.