Former NFL star and Atlanta local, Jamal Lewis, was handed a presidential pardon last week, in a sweeping act of clemency that included five ex-football players. Lewis, recognized for his contributions to the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns, was included in the list of pardons announced by Alice Marie Johnson, reportedly referred to as the White House pardon czar, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
The Atlanta-born athlete found himself on the wrong side of the law following his involvement in a drug deal using a cell phone, this occurred just a few years after his NFL draft pick, detailed by USA Today. His brush with the legal system could've landed him a decade in prison, had he been convicted on conspiracy charges. He eventually served a four-month prison sentence and then two months in a halfway house, according to USA Today.
Johnson's comment on the pardons was conspicuously thematic, stating “As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation," as per USA Today. The date of this statement was given as February 12, though the announcement came to light on February 13. The White House has not provided reasons for these pardons, leaving the public and the media to speculate on the motivations behind these decisions.
Lewis's storied career was marred by his legal troubles, however, it was his athletic prowess that marked his beginnings. From his high school days at Frederick Douglass High School in Atlanta's west side, Lewis had been a standout athlete. His high school performances even earned him MVP status at the Florida-Georgia All-Star Game, before he went on to rush over 2,500 yards and score 16 touchdowns at the University of Tennessee. In the year following his Super Bowl win with the Ravens, he was named the 2003 AP Offensive Player of the Year, a title belying the hardship that would follow shortly after.
In the wake of this presidential pardon, Lewis's future remains open-book, marking a potential end to a past that involved criminal justice. The former NFL players included in the round of pardons alongside Jamal Lewis were Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon.
