Nationwide — Wendell Smallwood Jr., a former NFL player, will reportedly be released from prison early to spend his 8-year-old daughter’s final days with her as she battles cancer. The former Philadelphia Eagles running back has been serving sentences for federal fraud and gun possession charges.
Smallwood, 32, has been incarcerated since 2024 after pleading guilty to federal fraud charges involving COVID-19 economic relief programs. He received an 18-month federal prison sentence in September 2025. He was also serving a separate three-year state sentence in New Jersey after pleading guilty to an unrelated gun possession charge earlier this year.
That case changed Friday, Aug. 7, when Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Renard Scott withdrew Smallwood’s guilty plea. The ruling came after a July appeals court decision found New Jersey’s assault weapons ban unconstitutional, giving Smallwood grounds to withdraw his plea.
Smallwood’s attorney, Yaron Helmer, also pointed to his client’s prison record and participation in rehabilitation programs as factors supporting his early release.
Mila was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. With doctors now saying she could have only a short time left, Helmer said the case is ultimately about giving Smallwood the chance to see his daughter.
“This is not just a matter of legal semantics,” Helmer said, according to People. “It’s about whether his daughter will hold her dad again.”
Helmer said Smallwood could be released as early as Monday, Aug. 17.
Smallwood played college football at West Virginia University before entering the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and he later played for the Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers.