Trump Pardons 5 Former NFL Stars for Wide-Ranging Crimes

The pardons include players who committed offenses like perjury, drug trafficking, and counterfeiting.

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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President Donald Trump has pardoned five former NFL players - Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon - for a variety of crimes they committed, including perjury, drug trafficking, and counterfeiting.

Why it matters

The pardons of these high-profile former athletes raise questions about the use of presidential clemency powers and whether certain individuals receive preferential treatment in the criminal justice system.

The details

The players pardoned include Joe Klecko, a former New York Jets star who pleaded guilty to perjury; Nate Newton, a six-time Pro Bowler who pleaded guilty to a federal drug-trafficking charge; Jamal Lewis, who pleaded guilty in a drug case; Travis Henry, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine; and Billy Cannon, a Heisman Trophy winner who admitted to counterfeiting in the 1980s.

  • On February 13, 2026, President Donald Trump pardoned the five former NFL players.

The players

Joe Klecko

A former New York Jets star and Pro Football Hall of Famer who pleaded guilty to perjury when he lied to a federal grand jury that was investigating insurance fraud.

Nate Newton

A six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection with the Dallas Cowboys who pleaded guilty to a federal drug-trafficking charge after law enforcement discovered $10,000 in his pickup truck as well as 175 pounds of marijuana in a vehicle in an accompanying car driven by another man.

Jamal Lewis

A former Baltimore Ravens player who won a Super Bowl and was named the Offensive Player of the Year in 2003, but pleaded guilty in a drug case in which he used a cellphone to try to set up a drug deal soon after being drafted.

Travis Henry

A Pro Bowl running back who played for three teams in his seven-year NFL career and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine for financing a drug ring that moved between Colorado and Montana.

Billy Cannon

A star with the Houston Oilers and Oakland Raiders who won the Heisman Trophy while at LSU, and later admitted to counterfeiting in the mid-1980s. His pardon came posthumously as he died in 2018.

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What’s next

The pardons are likely to face scrutiny and criticism, with questions raised about whether the former athletes received preferential treatment due to their high-profile status.

The takeaway

These pardons highlight the broad discretionary powers of the presidency and the potential for them to be used in ways that raise concerns about fairness and equal justice under the law, especially when it comes to high-profile individuals.