Jamal Lewis
- Status of the full grant
- Pardons granted
- Clemency
- Pardon · Feb 12, 2026
- District
- Northern District of Georgia
- Part of
- Five former NFL players
- The case
- Use of a telephone to facilitate an attempt to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, as the Justice Department lists it.
WHAT THE RECORD SHOWS
The Justice Department's clemency list records Lewis's conviction in the Northern District of Georgia and gives his sentence as four months' imprisonment and one year's supervised release, imposed January 26, 2005. The Associated Press account carried by NPR reports that the running back, who played for the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns, pleaded guilty in a drug case in which he used a cellphone to try to set up a drug deal not long after he was a top pick in the 2000 NFL draft. The AP notes he was named an All-Pro once, was a one-time Pro Bowler, and was the 2003 AP Offensive Player of the Year. No donation, lobbying payment or other payment connected to this pardon appears in the entry or its sources, and none of the cited reports carries a statement from Lewis about the pardon.
RESPONSE
The cited reports include no statement from Lewis. White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson, who announced the grants, thanked Trump for what she called his continued commitment to second chances, and NPR reported that the White House did not return a request for comment on why Trump pardoned the players.
Correction to the shared entry, Five former NFL players. An earlier version called all five convictions decades old. The Justice Department list gives sentencing dates from 1993 to 2009, and The Hill dates Billy Cannon’s counterfeiting case to 1983. Corrected September 18, 2026.
SOURCES FOR THE FULL GRANT
- NPR: Trump pardons 5 former NFL players for crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking ↗
- The Hill: President Trump pardons 5 ex-NFL players ↗
- U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney: Clemency grants by President Donald J. Trump (2025-present) ↗
- WFAA: Why did President Trump grant a pardon to Nate Newton? The former Cowboys offensive lineman is still trying to figure that out ↗
- Newsweek: Which NFL Owners Support Donald Trump? List of Those Who Have Donated to the President ↗
- ESPN: Super Bowl 2026 highlights: Seahawks capture second Lombardi with 29-13 win over Patriots ↗
This grant is recorded in full at Five former NFL players, which carries the shared record and every source cited here. A connection recorded here is not proof that it bought the outcome. How entries are labeled · Submit a correction or response · Download the ledger
