WASHINGTON, DC -- President Trump has pardoned Edward J. "Eddie" DeBartolo Jr., the former owner of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers.
DeBartolo, who now lives in Tampa and is listed by Forbes as the city's richest individual, pled guilty in 1998 to charges that he failed to report that former Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards extorted a $400,000 bribe to help him win a riverboat gambling license in that state. Edwards later went to prison.
Since giving up the Niners, DeBartolo has moved to Tampa, where he's been involved in charitable activities. He and Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks co-founded a charter school, the Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School. The former Buccaneer linebacker spoke at the pardon ceremony.
"I've been able to partner with him since 2005, in our efforts to educate our youth," Brooks said. "Our collegiate high school is just one of the many things that he can attest to in (being) deserving of this pardon," Brooks said.
Photo: Getty Images (2013)