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On Thursday, President Donald Trump extended pardons to five former professional football players, including one posthumously, for offenses ranging from perjury to drug trafficking.
The announcements were made by Alice Marie Johnson, who serves as the White House’s pardon czar.
The recipients of the pardons include former NFL athletes Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon.
Johnson expressed on social media platform X that “Football teaches us that excellence is founded on determination, grace, and the bravery to rise anew. The same principles apply to our nation,” while expressing gratitude to Trump for his ongoing dedication to offering second chances.
She also noted that Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, personally delivered the news to Newton, who was part of the team during three Super Bowl victories.
The White House did not return a request for comment on Thursday night on why Trump, an avid sports fan, pardoned the players.
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.
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.
Newton, an offensive lineman, pleaded guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge after authorities discovered US$14,000 in his pickup truck as well as 80kg of marijuana in an accompanying car driven by another man.
Newton was a two-time All-Pro player and six-time Pro Bowler.
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.
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.
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.
And Cannon, who played with the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs, admitted to counterfeiting in the mid-1980s after a series of bad investments and debts left him broke.
Cannon was a two-time All-Pro player and a two-time Pro Bowler.
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.
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