{"id":2569648,"date":"2026-02-13T09:53:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/late-breaking-trump-pardons-5-ex-nfl-players-for-multiple-crimes\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T09:55:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:55:49","slug":"late-breaking-trump-pardons-5-ex-nfl-players-for-multiple-crimes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/late-breaking-trump-pardons-5-ex-nfl-players-for-multiple-crimes\/","title":{"rendered":"Late Breaking: Trump Pardons 5 Ex-NFL Players for Multiple Crimes"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flate-breaking-trump-pardons-5-ex-nfl-players-for-multiple-crimes%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2569648&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President Donald Trump granted clemency to five former NFL players\u2014Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and Billy Cannon (the latter posthumously)\u2014for offenses ranging from perjury to drug trafficking and counterfeiting.The pardons were announced by White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson, who emphasized second chances, and she said Jerry Jones personally relayed the news to Newton. The White House did not provide a comment on the rationale for the pardons.<\/p>\n<p>Klecko, a former New York Jets star, pleaded guilty to perjury in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/latest-hunter-biden-video-leak-shows-presidents-son-waving-around-handgun-while-with-prostitute\/\" title=\"Latest Hunter Biden Video Leak Shows President\u2019s Son Waving Around Handgun While With Prostitute\">federal grand jury probe<\/a> of insurance fraud; he later was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2023), and earned two AP All-Pro selections and four Pro Bowls. newton, a Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman, pleaded guilty to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-admin-faces-court-test-over-venezuelans-taken-to-cecot\/\" title=\"... admin faces court test over Venezuelans taken to CECOT\">federal drug-trafficking charge<\/a> after authorities found $10,000 in his pickup and 175 pounds of marijuana in another car; he was a two-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler. Lewis, who played for the Ravens and Browns, pleaded guilty in a drug case involving using a cellphone to arrange a drug deal; he was named an All-pro once and a Pro Bowler, and won the 2003 AP Offensive Player of the Year. Henry, a Broncos running back, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine to finance a drug ring; he played for three teams and was a one-time Pro Bowler. Cannon, who played for the Oilers, Raiders and Chiefs, admitted to counterfeiting in the mid-1980s; he was a two-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler, and he won the 1959 Heisman Trophy at LSU before his football career.<\/p>\n<p>The article notes it is an Associated Press report republished by The Western Journal and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >includes standard editorial-disclaimer language<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>President Donald Trump on Thursday pardoned five former professional football players &mdash; one posthumously &mdash; for various crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking.<\/p>\n<p>The pardons were announced by White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson. Ex-NFL players Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon were granted the clemency.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation,&rdquo; Johnson wrote on the social media site X, as she thanked Trump for his &ldquo;continued commitment to second chances.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Johnson said Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones &ldquo;personally&rdquo; d the news with Newton, who won three Super Bowls with the team.<\/p>\n<p>The White House did not return a request for comment Thursday night on why Trump, an avid sports fan, pardoned the players.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Klecko, a former star for the New York Jets, pleaded guilty to perjury after lying to a federal grand jury that was investigating insurance fraud.<\/p>\n<p>A defensive lineman, Klecko was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023. He was a two-time Associated Press All-Pro player and a four-time Pro Bowler.<\/p>\n<p>Newton, an offensive lineman, pleaded guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge after authorities discovered $10,000 in his pickup truck as well as 175 pounds of marijuana in an accompanying car driven by another man.<\/p>\n<p>Newton was a two-time All-Pro player and six-time Pro Bowler.<\/p>\n<p>Lewis, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns, pleaded guilty in a drug case in which he used a cellphone to try to set up a drug deal not long after he was a top pick in the 2000 NFL draft.<\/p>\n<p>Lewis, a running back, was named an All-Pro once and was a one-time Pro Bowler. He was named the 2003 AP Offensive Player of the Year.<\/p>\n<p>Henry, who played for the Denver Broncos, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine for financing a drug ring that moved the drug between Colorado and Montana. He was a running back for three teams and a one-time Pro Bowler.<\/p>\n<p>And Cannon &mdash; who played with the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs &mdash; admitted to counterfeiting in the mid-1980s after a series of bad investments and debts left him broke.<\/p>\n<p>Cannon was a two-time All-Pro player and a two-time Pro Bowler.<\/p>\n<p>Cannon also won the 1959 Heisman Trophy while starring for Louisiana State University, where he had one of the most memorable plays in college football history: an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown against Ole Miss. He died in 2018.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: italic;\">The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Donald Trump granted pardons on Thursday to five former NFL players\u2014one of them posthumously\u2014for offenses including perjury and drug trafficking. The clemencies were announced by White House pardon administrator Alice Marie Johnson. The recipients were Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and Billy Cannon (posthumous). Johnson posted on X that football greatness is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rebound, and she thanked Trump for \u201csecond chances.\u201d She also said Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones personally informed Newton of the news. The White House did not reply to requests for comment on why the pardons were granted.<\/p>\n<p>Klecko, a former star for the New York Jets, pleaded guilty to perjury in a federal insurance-fraud probe. He is a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee (2023), a two-time AP All-Pro, and a four-time Pro Bowler. Newton, an offensive lineman, pleaded guilty to a federal drug-trafficking charge after authorities found $10,000 in his pickup and 175 pounds of marijuana in another car. He is a two-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler. Lewis, formerly with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, pleaded guilty in a drug case involving a cellphone-driven attempt to arrange a drug deal. He was an All-Pro once and a Pro Bowler once, and was the 2003 AP Offensive Player of the Year. Henry, who played for the Denver Broncos, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine; he played for three teams and was a one-time Pro Bowler. Cannon\u2014who played for the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders, and Kansas City Chiefs\u2014admitted to counterfeiting in the mid-1980s after financial troubles. He was a two-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler, and he won the 1959 Heisman Trophy at LSU, renowned for an 89-yard punt return against Ole Miss; Cannon died in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>Note: The Western Journal indicates it did not review the Associated Press story prior to publication and presents it as a reader service<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2569649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/9430a0f718304d10a00765252f4a82ef-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[70371,7215,12559,5894,3634],"class_list":["post-2569648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-breaking-news-2","tag-nfl","tag-pardons","tag-politics","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/9430a0f718304d10a00765252f4a82ef-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2569648"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2569652,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569648\/revisions\/2569652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2569649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2569648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2569648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2569648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}