FORMER SUPER BOWL CHAMPION WENDELL SMALLWOOD JR. GRANTED EARLY RELEASE TO BE WITH DYING 8-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER

Former NFL running back Wendell Smallwood Jr. has been granted an early release from prison as his eight-year-old daughter, Mila, faces the final stages of an aggressive childhood cancer. The decision comes after a New Jersey judge withdrew Smallwood’s state guilty plea and amid a desperate effort to give the father time with his daughter.

NEW JERSEY, USA — Former Philadelphia Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood Jr. is set to leave prison early so he can spend time with his eight-year-old daughter, Mila, who is receiving palliative care after battling an aggressive form of childhood kidney cancer.

The 32-year-old former NFL player has been incarcerated since 2024 and was serving an 18-month federal sentence stemming from a case involving COVID-19 relief fraud.

Now, with doctors reportedly believing his daughter may have only days or weeks remaining, Smallwood’s legal battle has taken on a deeply personal dimension.

His attorney described the situation in stark terms: the issue was whether Mila would have the opportunity to hold her father again.

A FATHER FACING A RACE AGAINST TIME

Mila was diagnosed earlier this year with diffuse anaplastic Wilms tumor, a rare and aggressive childhood kidney cancer.

According to reports, chemotherapy was unsuccessful and Mila has since been placed in palliative care.

Doctors reportedly believe she may have only a short time remaining.

For Smallwood’s family, that diagnosis transformed what had been a legal battle into a race against time.

His attorneys sought a way for him to leave custody so that he could be present during what may be his daughter’s final days.

WHY SMALLWOOD WAS IN PRISON

Smallwood’s incarceration stems from criminal cases unrelated to his daughter’s illness.

He pleaded guilty in a federal case involving fraud connected to COVID-19 economic-relief programs and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison in September 2025, according to reporting cited by PEOPLE.

He was also facing a separate New Jersey sentence involving unlawful possession of an assault firearm.

That state case became particularly important to the latest developments.

A KEY COURT DECISION ON AUGUST 7

On August 7, 2026, Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Renard Scott withdrew Smallwood’s guilty plea in the New Jersey case.

The decision followed a recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit concerning New Jersey’s assault-weapons law.

The appellate ruling found the state’s assault-weapons ban unconstitutional, creating a legal basis for Smallwood to withdraw his plea in the state case.

The judge also considered Smallwood’s circumstances, including his daughter’s rapidly deteriorating condition.

His conduct while incarcerated and participation in rehabilitation programs were also reportedly factors in the decision surrounding his release.

FROM THE NFL TO A PRISON CELL

Smallwood’s story is a dramatic departure from the career that once put him on the biggest stage in American football.

He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

The running back spent several seasons in the NFL and was part of the Eagles’ roster during the franchise’s historic Super Bowl LII championship season.

He later played for the Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers before leaving professional football.

Today, the football career that once defined him has largely faded into the background.

His immediate priority is his daughter.

THE RELEASE COULD COME WITHIN DAYS

According to PEOPLE, Smallwood could potentially be released as early as Monday, August 17.

That would allow him to return home while Mila remains in palliative care.

The timing is critical because the family’s concern is not about a distant future.

It is about the possibility that there may be only a matter of days or weeks left.

A LEGAL DECISION WITH A HUMAN CONSEQUENCE

Smallwood’s attorney, Yaron Helmer, emphasized that the legal proceedings had consequences far beyond the courtroom.

“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.”

The statement captures the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the case.

Smallwood remains responsible for the offenses for which he was convicted or pleaded guilty.

But the court was also faced with an eight-year-old child battling terminal cancer and a father seeking the opportunity to be beside her.

A FAMILY’S FINAL MOMENTS TOGETHER

For families confronting terminal childhood illness, time can take on a different meaning.

Ordinary milestones—another birthday, another school year, another family gathering—can suddenly become impossible hopes.

In Mila’s case, the family is now focused on spending whatever time remains together.

Smallwood’s early release could give him the opportunity to be present for those moments rather than experiencing them from behind prison walls.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The immediate question is whether Smallwood will be released on the anticipated timeline and allowed to return to his family.

His federal sentence and the legal proceedings surrounding his cases remain separate from the emotional circumstances involving his daughter.

The latest court action does not erase the underlying criminal matters.

Instead, it changes the circumstances under which Smallwood will serve the consequences of those cases.

For now, however, the focus is on Mila.

A STORY THAT GOES BEYOND FOOTBALL

Smallwood once played in front of millions of viewers on football’s biggest stage.

He experienced the celebration of a Super Bowl championship and the pressures of professional sport.

Now, his most important moment is taking place far away from a football stadium.

It is a father hoping to be beside his eight-year-old daughter during what may be the final chapter of her life.

Whatever happens next legally, the clock is moving.

And for the Smallwood family, the most valuable thing left may not be another victory on a football field—but simply time together.
For a father, it may be the most important release of his life.