Serving time in prison would likely have been difficult for Super Bowl champion Wendell Smallwood Jr. under any circumstances, but a recent health battle for his young daughter only added another challenge to his predicament.
Smallwood’s 8-year-old daughter, Mila, may have only days to live after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer earlier this year.
While the former Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Commanders running back has been incarcerated in New Jersey since 2024, Smallwood received good news about a potential release date from a Gloucester County Superior Court Judge last week, the Delaware News Journal reported.
Judge Renard Scott agreed to grant a motion submitted by Smallwood’s attorney to withdraw a previous guilty plea he submitted as the result of federal fraud charges related to COVID-19.
Smallwood, 32, also faced a separate New Jersey state charge related to the possession of an AR-15 he purchased in Philadelphia and later brought to his home in New Jersey; however, the state’s assault weapons ban was later ruled unconstitutional by an appeals court.
Due to the judge’s decision, Smallwood, who had been sentenced to 18 months in prison last September, may be released as early as Monday, Aug. 17. That will clear the way for him to spend what could be his daughter’s final moments alive with her as a free man.
“(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.”
Smallwood was a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft after a college career at West Virginia. The rusher played in 55 games over six NFL seasons, including eight games in 2017-18 campaign, when the Philadelphia Eagles upset Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to win the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
After experiencing unexplained stomach pains, Smallwood’s daughter was eventually diagnosed with Stage IV diffuse anaplastic Wilms tumor, a rare and aggressive form of childhood kidney cancer, according to a GoFundMe page established by family friends to support Mila’s care.
“We felt the support from so many people, and we are truly grateful,” Smallwood’s wife, Autumn, wrote in a statement after the decision to grant her husband’s early release.
“We are grateful for this step forward, but our biggest fight is still Mila’s,” she added. “Please continue to keep her in your prayers as she continues to fight.”
