EX-SUPER BOWL CHAMP GRANTED EARLY RELEASE TO BE WITH HIS DYING 8-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER

Former NFL running back Wendell Smallwood Jr. has been granted early release from prison as his 8-year-old daughter, Mila, battles a rare and aggressive form of childhood kidney cancer. After chemotherapy failed and Mila entered palliative care, a New Jersey judge withdrew Smallwood’s guilty plea in a separate state case, opening the way for him to leave prison and be with his daughter.

A FATHER GIVEN ONE MORE CHANCE

For Wendell Smallwood Jr., this is no longer about football.

The former Philadelphia Eagles running back, 32, is facing a race against time to be beside his young daughter during what doctors reportedly believe could be her final days or weeks.

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

After unsuccessful chemotherapy, she was placed in palliative care.

Doctors reportedly told the family that there were no further curative treatment options and that Mila could have only a limited amount of time remaining.

THE COURTROOM DECISION

On August 7, 2026, Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Renard Scott granted a motion to withdraw Smallwood’s guilty plea in his New Jersey gun-possession case.

The decision came amid a recent appellate ruling concerning New Jersey’s assault-weapons law, as well as arguments about Smallwood’s prison record and participation in rehabilitation programs.

The judge reportedly also said Smallwood was not considered a danger to the community.

That decision removed the state sentence that had been keeping him incarcerated.

His attorney said Smallwood could be released as early as August 17.

WHY WAS SMALLWOOD IN PRISON?

Smallwood had been serving an 18-month federal sentence after pleading guilty in a case involving fraud connected to COVID-19 economic relief programs.

He was also serving a separate New Jersey sentence stemming from an unrelated firearm-possession case.

His federal sentence and state case were therefore separate legal matters.

A FOOTBALL CAREER THAT ONCE SEEMED SO DIFFERENT

Before prison, Smallwood was known to football fans as an NFL running back.

He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft and later played for the Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Most significantly, he was part of the Eagles team that defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII in 2018.

Now, the biggest moment of his life has nothing to do with football.

It is about getting home to his daughter.

“WILL HIS DAUGHTER HOLD HER DAD AGAIN?”

Smallwood’s attorney, Yaron Helmer, described the situation in deeply personal terms.

He argued that the issue was not merely a question of legal procedure, but whether Mila would have the opportunity to see and hold her father again.

That argument ultimately carried significant weight with the court.

For the family, the decision provides something that cannot be measured in months or years of a sentence:

time together.

HIS FAMILY’S BIGGEST FIGHT IS STILL AHEAD

Smallwood’s wife, Autumn, reportedly expressed gratitude following the ruling.

But her family’s relief is tempered by the reality that Mila remains critically ill.

The release does not change her diagnosis.

It simply gives her father the possibility of being beside her.

And that may be the most important thing the family has left to hold onto.

A STORY BEYOND THE HEADLINES

The case has generated strong reactions because it combines three very different parts of Smallwood’s life:

A former NFL career

A criminal sentence

A child facing terminal illness

His early release does not erase his criminal convictions or the legal proceedings that brought him to prison.

But it does give him an opportunity to spend precious time with his daughter during an extraordinarily painful moment.

Sometimes the most important journey is not a comeback on the football field—it is simply getting home in time to hold your child.

Mila is reportedly continuing to receive palliative care.

Her family says their biggest fight is still her cancer battle.

And her father may now have the chance to be beside her.

Independent commentary based on current public reporting. Medical details and legal circumstances are reported as described by cited sources and should not be interpreted beyond the available evidence.