President Donald Trump granted clemency to a beloved NYC baseball star for a 1995 tax evasion charge, citing his sobriety and Christian faith.
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Trump, a White House official said per CNN, “has approved a pardon for Darryl Strawberry, three-time World Series champion and eight-time MLB All-Star.”
The official added, “Mr. Strawberry served time and paid back taxes after pleading guilty to one count of tax evasion.” They also highlighted his subsequent sobriety, deep religious faith, and his successful recovery center in Florida.
Strawberry, who famously played for the New York Mets, Yankees, and other MLB teams, pleaded guilty to tax evasion in 1995. At the time, The New York Times reported that the plea helped him avoid a trial on three tax-related counts. The charges could have resulted in a 15-year prison sentence.
Darryl Strawberry Thanks President Trump in Heartfelt Social Media Post
Meanwhile, Strawberry thanked Trump in an Instagram post. The post included several pictures of the two men and detailed a phone call with the president on Thursday, where Strawberry learned of the clemency plan.
“President Trump spoke warmly about my baseball days in NYC, praising me as one the greatest players of the ‘80s and celebrating the Mets. Then, he told me he was granting me a full pardon from my past,” Strawberry wrote alongside the snapshots. “I was overwhelmed with gratitude—thanking God for setting me free from my past, helping me become a better Man, Husband, and Father.”
Of course, baseball fans took to the comments section to praise Strawberry on the pardon.
“You deserve health and happiness and joy! Only the Lord above doesn’t make mistakes!!!” one fan wrote. “God has honored your humility and faithfulness!!” a second fan also chimed in.
“Well deserved, old man🙏🏾💜 Love you 💜🍓,” the baseball great’s daughter, Diamond Strawberry, gushed.
Strawberry also served time in prison for an unrelated state case. He served 11 months of an 18-month sentence in 2002 for violating probation on drug possession and solicitation of prostitution convictions.
Strawberry is the second Celebrity Apprentice alum to receive a pardon from Trump. Trump pardoned former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, another contestant, in February.