Trump grants clemency to former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr.
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By Shannon Pettypiece with NBC News Politics
Eddie DeBartolo Jr. speaks in the Hall of Fame press room at the the 5th annual NFL Honors on Feb. 6, 2016, in San Francisco.
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Jack Dempsey Invision for NFL/AP Images file
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order granting clemency to former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. related to a decades-old corruption charge, the White Houde said Tuesday.
The football icon pleaded guilty to a felony charge in 1998 related to a payment to former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards to help secure a casino license. DeBartolo Jr. had to pay a $1 million fine and was given two years probation in return for his testimony against the former Democratic governor.
DeBartolo was banned from the NFL for a year, and turned over control of the team to his sister in 2000. While he was the team's owner, the 49ers won five Super Bowls in 14 years.