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Trump pardons ex-San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr.

Former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., shown in 2015, pleaded guilty in 1998 to failing to report a felony when he paid $400,000 to former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards in exchange for a riverboat gambling license. He was pardoned Tuesday by President Trump.
(Associated Press)
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President Trump has pardoned Edward DeBartolo Jr., the former San Francisco 49ers owner convicted in a gambling fraud scandal.

DeBartolo, after building the 49ers’ dynasty of the 1980s and ’90s, was involved in a scandal that drove him from the NFL. 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 on Tuesday. NFL greats Jerry Rice, Jim Brown, Ronnie Lott and Charles Haley participated in the announcement.

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DeBartolo, whose 49ers won five Super Bowls, stepped down as owner in 1997 after two Louisiana newspapers reported he would be indicted for gambling fraud.

He avoided prison, was fined $1 million and was suspended for a year by the NFL. But the episode effectively ended his NFL career.

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.

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“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.”

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