Cowboys Legend Nate Newton Among 5 Former NFL Players Pardoned by Trump

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump pardoned five former NFL players on Thursday, including Dallas Cowboys legend Nate Newton.

Newton, 64, was a six-time Pro Bowl selection as an offensive lineman and helped lead the Cowboys to three Super Bowls.

White House pardon coordinator Alice Marie Johnson said that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones personally shared the news with Newton.

Newton was pardoned for a 2002 federal conviction for drug trafficking after he was busted with 175 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop. He spent about two-and-a-half years in prison for the crime.

The other players pardoned were Joe Klecko, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Dr. Billy Cannon. 

Klecko, a member of the New York Jets’ defensive line dubbed the ‘New York Sack Exchange,’ is a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He pleaded guilty to perjury for lying to a federal grand jury that was investigating insurance fraud.

Lewis won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens and was one of only five players to rush for over 2,000 yards. He pleaded guilty for helping set up a drug deal.

Henry was also a running back who played for Buffalo, Tennessee and Denver. He was selected to one Pro Bowl during his seven-year career. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic cocaine for financing a drug ring.

Cannon, a halfback and tight end for the Houston Oilers and Oakland Raiders, admitted to counterfeiting in the mid-1980s. He is best known for winning the 1959 Heisman Trophy at LSU. His pardon came posthumously as he died in 2018.