On Thursday, President Donald Trump granted a pardon to five former professional football players, including one who received a posthumous pardon, for offenses that ranged from perjury to drug trafficking: Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Dr. Billy Cannon. The announcement was made by White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson.

“As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation,” Johnson wrote on X. “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.”

Over the past three decades or more, Nate Newton has shared plenty of memorable conversations with Jerry Jones. But none compared to the moment Jones personally told him he was among five former NFL players granted an official pardon by Donald Trump. Newton recalled visiting Jones on Thursday evening at The Star in Frisco, where the Cowboys owner broke the news.

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“Jones said, ‘You’ve been pardoned from the President.’ I just sat there for about 30 seconds to a minute. I was stunned. But I told him, ‘You tell the President, thank you very much,'” Newton shared. “I told Jones, ‘It’s a great honor. It just means Trump is willing to tell America to wipe the slate clean.

“Mr. Jones said, ‘For me, it means you’ve been a good guy for a lot of years now. And somebody found it in their heart to pardon you for what you’ve done in the past, because it’s in the past’.”

In 2001, Newton pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking and later spent nearly two years in prison from 2002 through 2004. While a presidential pardon does not wipe away a person’s prior federal conviction or criminal history, it does represent formal forgiveness and can restore certain civil rights, such as the right to vote, hold public office, or serve on a jury.

“I told Mr. Jones that I want to continue to do the right things,” Newton said, “People trust you now. You’re starting to earn the trust back. At one point, you lose trust when people do egregious or bad things, you lose trust in them. And only time can get you that trust back. It’s been a lot of years since those things that I’ve done against society and individuals. I’ve been truly blessed. It’s a great thing.”

It’s not hard to understand why Jerry Jones would want to be the one personally share the news with Newton. Newton spent more than a decade anchoring the Cowboys’ offensive line. In the process, he was a central piece of the franchise’s 1990s dynasty under Jimmy Johnson. He helped Dallas win three Super Bowls and set the bar high with six Pro Bowl selections.

Later, he joined the Carolina Panthers in 1999. However, shortly after in 2001, he got entangled with the law due to drug-related charges, including possession of mari—na with intent to distribute.

The authorities discovered $10,000 in his pickup truck and 175 pounds of mari—na in a separate vehicle driven by another man. Newton ultimately pleaded guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge. That cast a long shadow, complicating how parts of his legacy were remembered.

So, the pardon is a big deal for Newton as well as the other players on the list.

Four other former NFL players received pardons from Donald Trump

Joe Klecko: Besides Nate Newton, Donald Trump also pardoned Joe Klecko, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon. Each player has a similar story: they once lit up Sundays, but were on the wrong side of the law. Klecko, a cornerstone of the New York Jets’ famed “New York Sack Exchange” defensive line, is a Pro Football Hall of Famer.

However, decades earlier, in 1993, he was convicted and sentenced to three months in prison on perjury charges, tied to a business venture after his playing career.

Jamal Lewis: Lewis’ arc is equally layered: the former Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns running back played for a decade. He earned one All-Pro nod and was part of the Ravens’ dominant Super Bowl-winning team in 2000.

Yet in 2005, he pleaded guilty to using a cell phone to facilitate a drug transaction connected to a broader federal investigation. He served prison time during the 2007 offseason and then returned to the league.

Travis Henry: In 2009, the former Buffalo Bills player was sentenced to three years in federal prison on coc—e trafficking charges after authorities linked him to financing and distributing large quantities of the drug. His legal troubles ended a seven-year career. He played for the Bills, Titans, Broncos and was also a one-time Pro Bowler.

Late Billy Cannon: Cannon’s case dates back even further. The 1959 Heisman Trophy winner at LSU later pleaded guilty in 1983 for his role in a large-scale counterfeiting operation involving millions of dollars in fake currency. He served three years in federal prison before eventually becoming a dentist. Cannon, who passed away in 2018 at age 80, was still posthumously included in Trump’s list of pardons.

While he may not be with us today, his daughter, Bunnie Cannon, appreciated the pardon on social media.

“During his lifetime, no matter how much good my father did, he could not outrun his failures,” she wrote. “One mistake does not and should not define you! Thank you Alice Johnson, our elected officials in Washington and President Trump for this gift to our family.”