On Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, it was announced that President Donald Trump has pardoned several former NFL players, as announced by Alice Marie Johnson.
The White House “pardon czar” made the announcement on X, formerly Twitter. Trump pardoned former NFL players Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon.
“As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation,” Johnson wrote. “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 announcement concluded by thanking Trump “for his continued commitment to second chances,” claiming that “mercy changes lives.”
The past charges Donald Trump is pardoning 5 ex-NFL players for
As ESPN notes in its report, Trump pardoned the five former NFL players for various past charges. Klecko pleaded guilty to perjury in 1993. This came after he lied to a federal grand jury amidst an insurance fraud investigation. Despite this, Klecko was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
Newton pleaded guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge in 2002. This came after $10,000 was found in his pickup truck. Additionally, they found 175 pounds of marijuana in an accompanying car driven by a different man. Lewis similarly pleaded guilty in a drug case. This was due to him trying to make a drug deal after being selected in the 2000 NFL Draft. Henry pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine. He was financing an operation that moved cocaine between Colorado and Montana.
The late Cannon passed away in 2018. However, before his death, he admitted to counterfeiting in the 1980s. This was done after he was “broke” due to “bad investments and debts.”
These are not the first instances of Trump pardoning athletes. In November 2025, he pardoned former New York Mets player Darry Strawberry of tax evasion and drug charges.
