Former Dallas Cowboys standout offensive lineman Nate Newton received a pardon from President Donald Trump on Thursday for a federal drug trafficking charge from 2002.
Newton, 64, was one of five former NFL players to receive pardons, announced by White House “pardon czar” Alice Marie Johnson.
“Special thanks to [Cowboys owner] Jerry Jones for personally sharing the news with Nate Newton,” Johnson said on X. “I’m holding Nate’s pardon in my hands today — what a blessed day.”
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
Joe Klecko, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry and the late Billy Cannon also received pardons. All had already long been released from prison.
Newton, a two-time All Pro, six-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time Super Bowl champions with the Cowboys in the 1990s, was sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2002 as part of a plea deal.
“I know I’ve done wrong, and I know there’s a price to be paid,’’ Newton said after the plea deal, according to the Associated Press. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get back into the community.’’
After his release, Newton has been a fixture around the team, appearing on Cowboys-related media and podcasts.
According to reports at the time, Newton was arrested in Ellis County after being found with $10,000 while an accompanying vehicle had 175 pounds of marijuana in the trunk worth an estimated $700,000.
That arrest came while Newton was already facing a pending case in Louisiana when police said he was driving a van loaded with 213 pounds of marijuana.
This story was originally published February 13, 2026 at 12:34 AM.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Jim Barnes is the Star-Telegram’s sports editor. A Fort Worth native and graduate of Castleberry High School, he returned to Texas after 13 years at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He previously was sports editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald and a freelance high school sports reporter for The Dallas Morning News.