There's no shortage of NFL players who have been convicted of various crimes through the year. Some of them have busts in Canton, Ohio. But this week President Donald Trump granted pardons to a handful of former players to clear their records.
On Friday, White House Pardon Czar Alice Marie Johnson announced that President Trump granted pardons to five former NFL players: DT Joe Klecko, RB Travis Henry, RB Jamal Lewis, OL Nate Newton and HB/TE Billy Cannon. Cannon's pardon for financial crimes comes posthumously as he passed away in 2018.
"Today, the President granted pardons to five former NFL players—Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late great Dr. Billy Cannon. As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. 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. Grateful to @POTUS for his continued commitment to second chances. Mercy changes lives," Johnson wrote on X.
The Five
Cannon, who passed away in 2018, won the Heisman Trophy at LSU in 1959 and a national championship in 1958 before enjoying championship success in the early days of the old AFL. But Cannon was also plagued by financial and legal troubles throughout his life and spent 2.5 years in prison in the 1980s. He passed away just under two years before Joe Burrow and the Tigers had one of the best seasons for any college team ever.
Klecko was the anchor behind the iconic "New York Sack Exchange" of the 1980s and is widely regarded as one of the best defensive linemen of the era. Long-considered a snub for the Hall of Fame, Canton finally came calling for him in 2023. He spent three months in prison in the 1990s for perjury in an insurance fraud case.
Newton - nicknamed "The Kitchen" for his tremendous size - won three Super Bowls and made six Pro Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys during a two-decade career in the NFL. He was convicted of drug trafficking in 2001 and received a 30-month sentence.
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Lewis was the first 2,000-yard rusher in Baltimore Ravens history and remains the franchise's all-time rushing leader. He helped the team win the Super Bowl as a rookie in 2000. He spent several months in prison for conspiracy charges relating to a drug deal in 2004, served his sentence during the 2005 offseason and was back on the field before the 2005 season.
Henry won a national title with the Tennessee Volunteers in 1998 and went on to play seven NFL seasons. He made the Pro Bowl with the Buffalo Bills in 2002. Henry pled guilty to drug charges in 2009 and spent two years in prison.
Fan Response
NFL fans were a bit mixed on whether those players deserved their pardons though. Some agreed that it's nice to see players get pardons in exchange for becoming proper members of society again, while others feel that it shows a lack of commitment to being "tough on crime."
"As a former inmate yourself, you have forgotten about those who truly deserve pardons, and now you just seek fame by pardoning celebrities," one user on X argued.
"Clemency is more than a signature—it restores rights, dignity, and opportunity. Second chances matter. When used properly, this process changes lives," another argued.
"Thank you for your work. President Trump could not have made a better choice in you! Great job, proud of you! Proud for you!" a third wrote.
"Travis Henry got busted with Cocaine. TF does he need pardoned for?"
Crime and punishment will always remain a hot button issue.