Wendell Smallwood Jr. has been in prison for possession of a weapon. However, he is now being released early to be with his 8-year-old daughter in her final days.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleFormer NFL player Wendell Smallwood Jr. has been in the headlines after his early release was approved by a judge on August 7, 2026. Reports began surfacing on August 12, 2026 (ET) that he was being released early due to the health of his 8-year-old daughter. Amid the buzz, let's take a look at what happened.
A former NFL player, Wendell Smallwood Jr., who has been incarcerated since 2024, will reportedly be released early so he can spend some time with his dying daughter. For the unversed, Smallwood's 8-year-old daughter was battling cancer, which has now become terminal. Given the recent development, a judge withdrew Smallwood's guilty plea for possession of a gun, allowing him to be with his daughter as she spends her last days in palliative care.
According to News Journal, Wendell Smallwood Jr.'s legal team had appealed to the court in July 2026. The appeal cited the court's decision and pointed out that the law found New Jersey's assault weapons ban unconstitutional, which allowed Smallwood to withdraw his plea. Apart from that, it was also noted that the former NFL player's early release was influenced by his federal prison record and participation in rehabilitation programs.
The report also mentioned that Wendell Smallwood Jr.'s 8-year-old daughter, Mila, was diagnosed with cancer earlier in 2026 and doctors now say she may have only days or weeks to live. Following the devastating diagnosis, Smallwood's attorney, Yaron Helmer, filed for early release. He spoke with the media outlet following the court's decision and said:
"This is not just a matter of legal semantics. It's about whether his daughter will hold her dad again."
Yaron Helmer reflected on Wendell Smallwood Jr.'s case and asserted that this was more than just a legal case, as the verdict decided whether the little girl gets to be with her father one last time. Talking about the court's withdrawal of Smallwood's guilty plea, Helmer revealed that the former NFL running back could be released as early as Monday, August 17, 2026.
For the unversed, the former NFL player, Wendell Smallwood Jr., played as a running back for the Philadelphia Eagles and other teams before he was sentenced. According to reports, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison in September 2025 on federal fraud charges related to COVID-19 economic relief programs. According to the News Journal, he pleaded guilty in September 2024 and has remained behind bars since.
The former running back was also serving a concurrent three-year state prison sentence in another case. According to the news outlet, he had pleaded guilty in an unrelated gun possession case out of New Jersey earlier in 2026. However, on August 7, 2026, Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Renard Scott withdrew Wendell Smallwood Jr.'s s guilty plea, citing his daughter's illness as a valid reason for the decision.
Before sentencing, Wendell Smallwood Jr. was born on January 20, 1994. He graduated from West Virginia University and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2016 NFL Draft, according to NFL.com. He later played for the Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers.
What are your thoughts on Wendell Smallwood Jr.'s early release?
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