White House clemency adviser announces pardons for former professional athletes convicted of offenses ranging from drug trafficking to counterfeiting.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump has issued pardons to five former NFL players convicted of various federal offenses, according to an announcement by White House clemency adviser Alice Marie Johnson.
Johnson disclosed the clemency decisions Thursday in a post on social media, writing that Trump granted relief to former New York Jets defensive lineman Joe Klecko, former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Nate Newton, former Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis, former Buffalo Bills running back Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon.
“As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again,” Johnson wrote, adding, “So is our nation.”
She also credited Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones with delivering the news directly to Newton. “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 wrote.
Newton, 64, served 30 months in federal prison beginning in 2002 after pleading guilty to drug trafficking. Since completing his sentence, he has participated in team events and media appearances.
Billy Cannon, a College Football Hall of Famer who died in 2018, served more than two years in prison following a 1983 admission that he participated in a counterfeiting scheme. Cannon played in the NFL for the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs and was selected twice as an All-Pro and twice for the Pro Bowl.
Joe Klecko, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023, was sentenced to three months in prison for perjury in connection with an insurance fraud case.
Jamal Lewis, who helped the Baltimore Ravens win the Super Bowl in 2001, pleaded guilty in 2004 to using a cellphone to facilitate a drug transaction.
Travis Henry, a former Buffalo Bills running back, pleaded guilty in 2009 to conspiracy to traffic cocaine and served three years in prison.
Johnson thanked Trump for the clemency actions in her post, writing, “Grateful to @POTUS for his continued commitment to second chances,” and adding, “Mercy changes lives.”
Johnson’s position in the White House followed her own clemency case, after Trump granted her relief during his first term while she was serving a life sentence for a nonviolent drug offense. Her appointment was previously reported by Newsmax.
Under the U.S. Constitution, the president holds the authority to grant pardons and commutations. During his first term, Trump issued 237 acts of clemency, according to compiled federal records. President Barack Obama granted 1,927 acts of clemency over two terms, while former President Joe Biden granted 4,245 over one term, according to a Pew Research Center analysis.
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