Ex-NFL Player Wendell Smallwood Released to See Dying Daughter

Wendell Smallwood Jr., a former running back for the Philadelphia Eagles, has been granted early release from prison. The decision allows him to be present during the final days of his eight-year-old daughter, Mila, who is receiving palliative care for a rare and aggressive form of childhood kidney cancer. Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Renard Scott approved the motion on August 7 to withdraw Smallwood’s guilty plea from the previous year.

Mila was diagnosed in 2026 with diffuse anaplastic Wilms tumor. Following unsuccessful chemotherapy, she is now under palliative care and is expected to live for only a few more weeks.

Smallwood, who also played for the Commanders and Steelers, was serving an 18-month federal sentence for a COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. He had pleaded guilty in December 2024 to wire fraud, conspiracy, and tax fraud related to economic relief programs. In March, he received a concurrent three-year state prison sentence for unlawful possession of an AR-15 rifle. At that time, New Jersey prohibited assault weapon ownership. However, a July ruling by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals declared the state's ban unconstitutional, providing a basis for Smallwood to contest his guilty plea.

The severe illness of his daughter was cited as a significant factor in the judge's decision on August 7, which could facilitate Smallwood's release as early as the following Monday.