Former Super Bowl Champ Could Leave Prison Early To Be With Dying Child

Former Philadelphia Eagles running back and Super Bowl champion Wendell Smallwood could be released from federal prison early to spend what may be the final days of his 8-year-old daughter’s life after a New Jersey judge allowed him to withdraw his guilty plea in a separate state gun case.  

Smallwood, 32, could be released from Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institution as early as August 17 after Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Renard Scott approved the withdrawal of his guilty plea on August 7, removing an obstacle to his release from federal custody. 

Smallwood’s daughter, Mila, was diagnosed earlier this year with diffuse anaplastic Wilms tumor, a rare form of kidney cancer. She underwent unsuccessful chemotherapy, and doctors say she may have only days or weeks to live, according to the Delaware News Journal. 

Scott pointed directly to Mila’s condition when discussing his decision to allow Smallwood to withdraw the plea. The judge also noted that Smallwood was approximately three months away from qualifying for full parole on his state sentence.  

“[It’s an] unfortunate situation none of us would want to face,” Scott said. “This is an illness that is untreatable. His daughter has days, possibly weeks remaining.” 

“They can’t do anything except make her comfortable now,” Smallwood’s attorney, Yaron Helmer, said. “I can’t think of a stronger reason than to be with his dying daughter.” 

Smallwood had been serving two separate sentences concurrently: an 18-month federal sentence stemming from fraud involving COVID-19 economic relief programs and a three-year New Jersey sentence stemming from his possession of an AR-15-style rifle.

A federal appeals court ruling in July finding New Jersey’s ban on AR-15-style rifles unconstitutional provided Smallwood with justification to challenge his state conviction. Scott’s decision to allow Smallwood to withdraw his guilty plea removed the state sentence as an obstacle to his release.

Smallwood had legally purchased the weapon in Pennsylvania but carried it into New Jersey. Scott described the incident as a “poor judgment call” and said Smallwood was not a threat to the community.

Smallwood played college football at West Virginia before the Eagles selected him in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons in Philadelphia and was a member of the Eagles team that defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

He later played for Washington and Pittsburgh.