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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned Eddie DeBartolo Jr., the former San Francisco 49ers owner convicted in a gambling fraud scandal who built one of the most successful NFL teams in the game’s history.
DeBartolo, who owned the 49ers during their 1980s-1990s dynasty, was involved in one of the biggest owners’ scandals in the sport’s history. In 1998, he pleaded guilty to failing to report a felony when he paid $400,000 to former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards in exchange for a riverboat gambling license.
The White House announced the surprise decision to reporters on Tuesday, with NFL greats Jerry Rice, Jim Brown, Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley in attendance.
“You know what, we all make mistakes and today the president cleared that mistake from him,” said Haley, an NFL Hall of Fame defensive end who played on two of DeBartolo’s Super Bowl winning teams.
“It’s a good day for Mr. D,” Lott wrote in a tweet Tuesday morning. “The man has done more than most anyone for kids in the Bay Area and in Tampa Bay. His numerous contributions to the game of football are well known. We are all happy for him. He is family.”
The 73-year-old DeBartolo, whose San Francisco 49ers won five Super Bowls under his leadership, lost control as the team’s owner in a 1997 deal with his sister Denise DeBartolo York, who sued him for not repaying $94 million to the DeBartolo family trust. In addition, two Louisiana newspapers reported Eddie DeBartolo would be indicted for gambling fraud.
As part of the deal with his sister, Denise and her husband, John York, assumed total control of the franchise. Their son, Jed York, was then tabbed to run the team. After some lean years, the Yorks appear to have the 49ers poised for some more strong seasons after reaching the Super Bowl earlier this month.
The move by Trump comes as he’s stepped up efforts to use sports as a vehicle to reach out to American voters ahead of the November elections. The president and his campaign advisers have high hopes of expanding his base by pulling new voters to the polls who typically avoid politics.
On Sunday, Trump headed to the Daytona 500, becoming just the second sitting president to attend the NASCAR event. In recent months, the president has also made high-profile visits to the World Series and the college football championship game. Trump was greeted with cheers by football and NASCAR fans, and a chorus of boos at Game 5 of the World Series hosted by the Washington Nationals.
DeBartolo’s relationship with Trump extends back at least to before the president’s inauguration, when the former 49ers owner held a pre-inauguration party honoring Michael Cohen, Omarosa Manigault and others close to Trump. DeBartolo has supported candidates from across the political spectrum over the years, according to publicly available campaign donation data from the U.S. Federal Election Commission.
There’s a strong feeling by some that Trump is hoping to boost his chances of winning Ohio in the 2020 presidential election by pardoning DeBartolo, who is still a popular and influential figure in the state’s political arena.
Ohio pastor Darrell Scott, an early supporter and longtime ally of the president, said that he submitted the package advocating DeBartolo’s case more than a year ago.
“He’s been wanting that stain removed from his legacy for a long time,” said Scott, who attended Tuesday’s announcement.
Scott, who also encouraged Trump to intervene on behalf of rapper A$AP Rocky when he was detained in Stockholm in last summer, said a long list of “NFL greats” had submitted character references on DeBartolo’s behalf.
“He thought about it, he considered it,” Scott said of Trump. “I think it’s long overdue.”
DeBartolo avoided prison, was fined $1 million and was suspended for a year by the NFL. But the episode effectively ended his NFL career.
PRESIDENTIAL PARDON: @JerryRice speaks about former @49ers owner, Eddie DeBartolo Jr., being pardoned by President @realDonaldTrump today. https://t.co/ppU2i4RofF pic.twitter.com/3hpjyiu096
— CBS News Bay Area (@KPIXtv) February 18, 2020
Rice, an NFL Hall of Famer who played on three of DeBartolo’s Super Bowl-winning teams, said DeBartolo “was like that 12th man” of the great 49ers teams.
“He’s the main reason why we won so many Super Bowls,” Rice said. “So today is a great day for him. I’m glad to be here and be a part of that. It’s just something I will never forget. This man, he has done so much in the community, has done so much in NFL football.”
Former 49ers center Jesse Sapolu celebrated the pardon on Twitter, writing it was “Great News For A Good Man With A Great Heart.”
