Atlanta native and former Ravens running back Jamal Lewis receives presidential pardon in NFL clemency group

Presidential clemency includes Atlanta-born Super Bowl champion

Jamal Lewis, an Atlanta native who won a Super Bowl as a rookie with the Baltimore Ravens, received a presidential pardon as part of a group of clemency grants to five former NFL players. The pardons were issued Thursday, February 12, 2026, and publicly announced the following day.

Lewis, 46, is best known for his career with the Ravens and later the Cleveland Browns. He was drafted fifth overall in 2000 and won Super Bowl XXXV with Baltimore in the 2000 season. He later earned league-wide honors, including a Pro Bowl selection and recognition as the Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year for the 2003 season.

What the pardon covers

The pardon relates to a federal drug case stemming from events in 2000. Lewis ultimately pleaded guilty in October 2004 to a federal charge of using a cellphone to facilitate a drug transaction. As part of the case, prosecutors dropped more serious drug conspiracy and attempted cocaine possession charges.

Lewis was sentenced in January 2005 to four months in federal custody and later moved through a halfway-house placement during the final phase of the sentence. The NFL also imposed discipline following the guilty plea, announcing a two-game suspension without pay and an additional fine of two weeks’ pay under the league’s substance-abuse policy in October 2004.

Local roots and career timeline

Lewis grew up in Atlanta and played high school football at Frederick Douglass High School before starring at the University of Tennessee. His NFL career with Baltimore ran through the 2006 season. He then played for Cleveland through 2009.

• Born and raised in Atlanta; attended Frederick Douglass High School
• Drafted No. 5 overall in 2000 by the Baltimore Ravens
• Won Super Bowl XXXV in his rookie season
• Played for the Ravens (2000–2006) and Browns (2007–2009)

Part of a broader set of NFL pardons

Lewis was pardoned alongside four other former NFL players: defensive lineman Joe Klecko, offensive lineman Nate Newton, running back Travis Henry, and Billy Cannon, who received clemency posthumously.

Public statements accompanying the announcements framed the actions as clemency for former players convicted of federal offenses ranging from perjury to drug trafficking and counterfeiting. The White House did not provide a detailed explanation of the selection criteria for the group.

The pardon is a form of executive clemency that can relieve federal legal consequences of a conviction, but it does not apply to state charges or state convictions.

For Lewis, the pardon closes a high-profile federal case that followed him during his playing career and remained a matter of public record long after his final NFL season.