NEWTON ACCEPTS PRISON DECREE

'I've Done Wrong,' Ex-Cowboy Says Of 30-month Sentence

Former Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Nate Newton, flanked by former
teammates who attested to his good character, was sentenced Wednesday to 30
months in prison and fined $25,000 on a federal drug trafficking charge.

U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn also ordered Mr. Newton to serve
three years' probation when he is free, perform 250 hours of public service
by talking to schoolchildren about the dangers of drugs, and submit to
mandatory drug testing.

Mr. Newton told Judge Lynn he was sorry and ready to be punished. He faced
20 years in prison and a $1 million fine before pleading guilty to a
reduced charge of helping several men drive $700,000 worth of marijuana
across Texas.

"I know I've done wrong, and I know there's a price to be paid," he said in
a courtroom packed with court staff and Cowboys fans.

Mr. Newton could finish his federal sentence in about 19 months after
subtracting the nearly seven months he has served awaiting his punishment
and a standard 15 percent reduction for good behavior. But more legal
troubles loom.

Mr. Newton faces a mandatory five-year minimum prison sentence if convicted
in Louisiana on charges that he drove a van loaded with 213 pounds of
marijuana. He was arrested Nov. 4 in that case.

Defense attorney Steven Jay Rozan said he was not sure whether any legal
strategy could chip away at the state's mandatory sentence, which could be
tacked onto Mr. Newton's federal sentence.

Judge Lynn ordered Mr. Newton, 40, to begin his sentence Oct. 8, when he is
expected to report to a Seagoville federal prison he requested for its
proximity to friends.

Mr. Newton had been held without bail in Seagoville until last week, when
he was released to begin putting personal affairs in order.

Wearing a gray sport coat, red tie and black slacks, he huddled with
friends and attorneys in the courtroom after pronouncement of the sentence,
which he had been expecting.

He declined to answer when asked why he turned to drug trafficking so soon
after a successful football career, during which he helped the Cowboys win
three Super Bowls.

"That's a straight no comment," he said.

Former Cowboys teammate Deion Sanders said his friend told him he was broke
and needed money fast. At one point during the hearing Wednesday, Mr.
Newton's attorney asked Judge Lynn to delay payments on Mr. Newton's
$25,000 fine until his NFL pension starts in two years.

"He exhausted himself financially," Mr. Sanders said.

Judge Lynn said she was "impressed" by testimony from a number of prominent
and not-so-prominent friends, including Dallas police Officer Tony Hayes.
Officer Hayes said he has known Mr. Newton for 20 years and was cleared by
supervisors to offer supporting testimony.

Also testifying was former Cowboy Kevin Mathis, who said Mr. Newton was
kind to children and the elderly, perennially cheerful and generous with
friends. Mr. Rozan said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called twice last week to
offer support.

In sentencing Mr. Newton, Judge Lynn said she could tell from "a refreshing
joy of life" she saw him exhibit both on and off the field that he is not a
bad person. However, she said because he is a role model, she needed to
temper her feelings by sending him to jail.

Mr. Newton 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 Monte
Carlo driven by Charles Deaundra Howard, 25, of Garland.

Mr. Howard and another suspect, Billy Crenshaw, have pleaded guilty.
Co-defendant Bruce Freeman-Canady, 30, of Jacksonville, Fla., also pleaded
guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to
distribute marijuana.