Former Steelers Running Back Granted Early Prison Release Due To Tragic Family Circumstance

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long and storied history, but there are countless players that have come through the organization that many fans won't even remember. Some stints for practice squad and roster bubble individuals don't last very long, which is why playing professional football can be such a difficult thing to do as a career if someone isn't one of the top producers at his respective position. There are certain guys like Wendell Smallwood Jr., who only participated in one game in the Steel City, despite being active for 37 total regular-season contests at a point with the cross-state rival Philadelphia Eagles.

Smallwood had a respectable three-year tenure in Philadelphia. Not only did he find a way to start 12 contests, but he also has a Super Bowl ring from the 2017 run that the Eagles went on, even though he did not participate in that specific postseason. He would go on to play for the then-Washington Redskins in 2019, and found his way to the Steelers in 2020. His final career appearances came back with Washington in 2021.

While Smallwood was on and off the Steelers' practice squad for the majority of the 2020 campaign, he was active for just one matchup in which he played just two special teams snaps.

Unfortunately, things did not go well for the former running back after he completed his NFL journey. Back in 2024, ESPN reported that he pleaded guilty to a number of charges.

"Former Philadelphia Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood Jr. has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges after he was accused of submitting fraudulent tax returns and applications for hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 pandemic aid programs," ESPN noted.

He ended up being sentenced to 18 months in prison following his guilty plea. However, in an ever sadder sequence of events, Smallwood was granted an early release recently so he could be with his eight-year-old daughter, Mila, who is dying after battling a horrible cancer diagnosis. USA TODAY's Jack McKessy reported on the situation regarding the former Steelers ball carrier.

"Wendell Smallwood Jr.'s daughter is dying. The former NFL running back wanted to spend her final days by her side, but his prison sentence nearly made that impossible," McKessy wrote. "On Aug. 7, Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Renard Scott granted Smallwood's motion to withdraw a guilty plea he made last year. The decision means that Smallwood could be released as soon as Aug. 10, his lawyer, Yaron Helmer, told The News Journal, part of the USA TODAY network."

It's never fun to read and hear about former professional athletes ending up in prison, but this story is all the more devastating because it appears as if Smallwood's daughter is not going to make it after battling a serious cancer diagnosis.

Former Steelers Running Back Had A Legal Basis To Get Early Release

One of the other reasons why Smallwood is able to get out of incarceration to see his daughter is because he withdrew his guilty plea. PennLive's Johnny McGonigal went into detail about another legal proceeding that occurred involving Smallwood.

"Smallwood also pled guilty to second-degree unlawful possession of an assault firearm for possessing an AR-15 rifle in New Jersey. He was sentenced to three years in prison. But in July, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that New Jersey’s ban on assault weapons was unconstitutional. That gave Smallwood the legal grounds to withdraw his guilty plea."

There aren't many things in the world worse than when a parent loses a child. Regardless of his recent troubles with the law, Smallwood's current experience is something no one should ever have to go through. It's an incredibly sad situation overall. There isn't much out there about what the future holds for the former NFL player; however, the only important thing that is likely on the top of his mind at the moment is being with Mila.

#SteelerNation