Dallas Cowboys guard Nate Newton against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park. RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Cowboys Legend Pardoned By Trump After Prior Federal Drug Trafficking Plea

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Josh Sanchez | Last updated Feb 13, 2026 8:23 AM ET

Dallas Cowboys legend Nate Newton, who won three Super Bowl championships with the team during the 1990s America's Team dynasty, has been pardoned by President Donald Trump.

Newton was one of five ex-NFL stars who received a pardon from Trump late Thursday night, with the crimes of former players ranging from perjury to drug trafficking.

According to White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson, Newton was personally informed of his pardon by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Newton pleaded guilty to a federal drug trafficking charge and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after a December 12, 2001, arrest, after authorities discovered $10,000 cash and 175 pounds of marijuana in his vehicle. He had been arrested five weeks earlier with 213 pounds of marijuana in his white van.

Peter Brouillet-Imagn Images

"As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation. Special thanks to Jerry Jones for personally sharing the news with Nate Newton," Johnson wrote on X.

"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."

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.

Special thanks… pic.twitter.com/Y4FC5lQwGE
— Alice Marie Johnson (@AliceMarieFree) February 13, 2026

Throughout his 14-year NFL career, Newton was a three-time Super Bowl champion, two-time first-team All-Pro, and a six-time Pro Bowler.

Other ex-NFL stars who were granted clemency include Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Klecko, former Baltimore Ravens superstar Jamal Lewis, running back Travis Henry, and College Football Hall of Famer Billy Cannon, whose pardon comes posthumously.

Since his release from prison, Newton has turned his life around and has renounced his past. He has worked in the media in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“I know I’ve done wrong, and I know there’s a price to be paid,’’ Newton said after his guilty plea. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get back into the community.’’

This article first appeared on Dallas Cowboys on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: