Trump pardons ex-49ers owner DeBartolo

President Donald Trump pardoned former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. for a federal bribery conviction related to an attempt to secure a Louisiana casino license. With several former players at the White House on Tuesday for the announcement, including Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, DeBartolo Jr. was granted clemency for his 1998 felony conviction.

"I take my hat off to Donald Trump for what he did," Rice said at a press briefing. DeBartolo is best known for helping to build the 49ers along with head coach Bill Walsh in the 1980s and early 1990s. DeBartolo was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

President Trump, per the White House, signed an executive order granting clemency for DeBartolo. DeBartolo entered a guilty plea for failing to report a felony in the corruption case that sent former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards to prison for eight years.

DeBartolo avoided jail time, but the NFL forced a transfer of ownership of the team. DeBartolo shifted controlling interests to his sister, Denise DeBartolo York, and the family is still running the 49ers with Jed York as the face of the franchise. 

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