• Trump pardoned five former NFL players, one posthumously, including serious crimes.
• The pardoned players include Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and Billy Cannon.
• White House Pardon Czar Alice Marie Johnson announced the pardons, emphasizing second chances.

President Donald Trump pardoned five former professional football players—one posthumously—for various crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking. The announcement was made by White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson on social media. The players granted clemency are Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon. Johnson praised football's underlying values, stating, "As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation," according to India Times, NPR, Reuters, and CBS News.

Klecko, a former defensive lineman for the New York Jets, pleaded guilty to perjury in a federal insurance fraud case and was sentenced to three months in jail in 1993. He has since been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Newton, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys, was sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2002 for a drug trafficking charge involving 175 pounds of marijuana, while Lewis pleaded guilty in 2004 to drug-related charges after a failed deal. His most notable season was in 2003 when he was named the AP Offensive Player of the Year, according to India Times, CBS News, and Reuters.

Travis Henry, a running back known for his time with the Denver Broncos, was sentenced to three years in prison for financing a cocaine trafficking operation in 2009, while Billy Cannon, who gained fame with the LSU Tigers before playing professionally, faced charges related to counterfeiting during the 1980s. Cannon was a two-time All-Pro, three-time AFL champion, and he famously won the Heisman Trophy in 1959, according to Reuters and NPR.