EX-COWBOY NEWTON GETS 5 YEARS FOR DRUG POSSESSION

ST. MARTINVILLE, La. - Former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Nate Newton,
already serving a federal drug sentence in Texas, was sentenced to five
years in prison Monday for possession of 213 pounds of marijuana in Louisiana.

Judge Don Hernandez initially tried to suspend all but 30 months of Mr.
Newton's sentence but changed his mind after prosecutors said the mandatory
minimum sentence was five years. Prosecutors had argued for a sentence of
15 to 20 years.

Judge Hernandez told Mr. Newton that he could still be a positive role
model for children and for his fans.

"I will be. I promise you that," Mr. Newton said.

Mr. Newton also received a $50,000 fine.

He is serving a 30-month federal sentence on a drug-trafficking charge and
could finish it in 19 months. Mr. Newton pleaded guilty in April to the
charge in federal court in Dallas as part of a plea agreement.

Mr. Newton, 40, was free on bail from the Louisiana arrest when authorities
stopped him in Ellis County on Dec. 12. They found $10,000 in his red
pickup and 175 pounds of marijuana in the trunk of an accompanying car
driven by a Garland man.

He will serve his Louisiana sentence concurrently with the federal sentence.

Mr. Newton's Louisiana arrest came in November 2001, after he and two women
were pulled over for a traffic violation on Interstate 10 in St. Martin
Parish. Mr. Newton and the others were accused of hauling the marijuana
with plans to sell it.

Mr. Newton is a six-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman. He spent 14 seasons in
the NFL, 13 of those with Dallas. He retired in 2000 after a season with
Carolina.