Nate Newton, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys, had already done his time more than two decades ago. The 64-year-old former offensive lineman had long moved past the 2002 convictions that had derailed his life after football. By all accounts, that chapter felt closed. But then came the presidential pardon. With the moment all over the news already, Newton, too, took to social media, sharing a public message directed at the President.

“I would like to thank President Trump and all of those that work under him who put this Pardon into effect,” Newton wrote on X. “Thank you Sir for taking time out of your busy day in running this country. Thank you Sincerely and may God bless you. Nathaniel Newton Jr.”

On Thursday night, Donald Trump formally pardoned Newton for his 2002 federal drug trafficking conviction. The announcement, made public by White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson, included four other former NFL players and was framed as an act of clemency rooted in second chances. As per the statement:

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

A presidential pardon fully forgives a federal offense, restores civil rights, and ends remaining legal penalties. It does not erase the conviction from the historical record. For Newton, though, it marked official closure on a chapter that had overshadowed a career once defined by dominance in the trenches.

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A presidential pardon fully forgives a federal offense, restores civil rights, and ends remaining legal penalties. It does not erase the conviction from the historical record. For Newton, though, it marked official closure on a chapter that had overshadowed a career once defined by dominance in the trenches.

Before the arrests, Newton had been one of the anchors of the Cowboys’ 1990s dynasty, a two-time First-team All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler who helped power three Super Bowl runs. His trajectory shifted in November 2001 when Louisiana state troopers pulled over a van he was driving and said they found 213 pounds of marijuana inside. Weeks later, in Ellis County, Texas, authorities stopped him again and reported discovering $10,000 in cash and 175 pounds of marijuana valued at roughly $700,000.

Newton pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in April 2002. He was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and later received a five-year sentence in the Louisiana case, with the terms running concurrently.

More than two decades later, the pardon arrived. And the news did not reach him through a formal notice. It came from Jerry Jones.

The Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager personally informed Newton that he had been granted clemency. Shortly after, Newton returned to X with another message, this time directed at Jones.

“I would like to personally Thank Mr. Jones for sharing that great news last night with Me of the Presidential Pardon I received,” Newton wrote. “May God bless you, Mr. Jones and your Family. Thank you my Friend!!! Nathaniel Newton Jr.”

That relationship endured even through Newton’s darkest days. The undrafted free agent from Florida A&M spent a lot of his NFL career (15 seasons) in Dallas, from 1986 to 1998. He earned 6 Pro Bowl nods in that tenure and was named First-team All-Pro twice during the Cowboys’ dynasty years. His three Super Bowl rings (from victories in Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX) cemented his place in the franchise lore.

Newton has remained connected to the Cowboys Nation since his release from prison, appearing on podcasts and at team events. The pardon now removes the final legal barrier between him and full redemption.

But it’s not just Nate Newton’s day to celebrate. After all, he wasn’t alone in receiving Trump’s clemency.

Five NFL players receive second chances

When the White House announced the news, five NFL players were named. The group included:

• Nate Newton
• Joe Klecko
• Jamal Lewis
• Travis Henry
• Billy Cannon (posthumous)

Joe Klecko, the New York Jets defensive lineman inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023, was pardoned for a 1993 perjury conviction. Klecko had notably pleaded guilty to perjury after lying to a federal grand jury investigating an insurance fraud scheme involving his pickup truck. His attorney had said at the time that Klecko knew nothing of the scheme and was just trying to protect his friends.

Jamal Lewis, the former Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns running back, had faced legal troubles back in 2004 for allegedly trying to set up a drug deal. He, too, received a Presidential pardon.

Meanwhile, Travis Henry, the running back who played for the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, and the Denver Broncos, also received a pardon for drug trafficking charges.

Lastly, Billy Cannon, the 1959 Heisman Trophy winner who passed away in 2018 at the age of 80, received a posthumous pardon. The former halfback / tight end who played for the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders, and Kansas City Chiefs had pled guilty to counterfeiting charges back in 1983.

Alice Marie Johnson, who herself received clemency from Donald Trump during his first term, announced the pardons on X with words that captured the move’s significance.

“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,” Johnson posted 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.”

Johnson concluded her post with a note of thanks to the President: “Grateful to @POTUS for his continued commitment to second chances. Mercy changes lives.”

For Nate Newton, the pardon represents more than just legal forgiveness. It’s validation that mistakes, no matter how serious, don’t have to define a person’s entire story. His gratitude to both Donald Trump and Jerry Jones reflects a man who understands the weight of second chances.