WASHINGTON (AP) — The President donald trump Former New York Mets great was pardoned Darryl Strawberry Citing his Christian faith and years of sobriety after a career in which he won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1983, he was charged with tax evasion and drug charges.
Strawberry was an outfielder and was an eight-time All-Star, including seven times with the Mets from 1983 to 1990. In 17 seasons, he had 335 home runs, 1,000 RBIs, and 221 stolen bases.
Strawberry, then beset by legal, health, and personal problems, was charged with tax evasion and ultimately pleaded guilty to a single felony charge in 1995. That was based on his failure to report $350,000 in income from autographs, personal appearances and memorabilia sales.
Strawberry agreed to pay more than $430,000 as part of the lawsuit. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1998 and underwent surgery and chemotherapy.
The following year, Strawberry was sentenced to probation and suspended from baseball after pleading no contest to charges of cocaine possession and solicitation of prostitution. He eventually told the court about his struggle with depression and was charged with violating his probation multiple times, including on his 40th birthday in 2002.
Strawberry ultimately served 11 months in a Florida prison and was released in 2003.
White House officials announced Friday that President Trump approved a pardon for Strawberry, who has served time in prison and repaid his taxes. The official, who provided background on the details of the pardon, which has not yet been officially announced, noted that Strawberry found his Christian faith, has remained sober for more than 10 years, became active in ministry and started a recovery center that is still active.
strawberry Post to Instagram “Thank you Mr. President,” he wrote along with a photo of himself and Trump. @RealDonaldTrump Thank you for my complete forgiveness and for allowing me to end this part of my life and allow me to be truly free and clean from all of my past. ”
He explained that he was home Thursday afternoon to care for his wife, who was recovering from surgery, when “the phone kept ringing nonstop.”
“I turned around, half asleep, and saw a phone call from Washington, D.C.,” Strawberry wrote. “I was curious, so I answered, and to my surprise, the woman on the phone said, ‘Daryl Strawberry, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, is calling.’ “I spoke on speakerphone with my wife, who was nearby, and President Trump spoke warmly about my baseball days in New York, praised me as one of the greatest players of the ’80s, praised the Mets, and told me he would grant me a full pardon from my past.”
Before becoming a reality TV star, Trump was a New York real estate mogul who won the presidential election twice.
“I am filled with gratitude. I thank God for freeing me from my past and helping me become a better person, husband and father,” Strawberry said.
“This experience has deepened my faith and commitment to work for the Kingdom of God as a true follower of Jesus Christ,” Strawberry said, but added, “This has nothing to do with politics. This is the story of President Trump, a man who cares deeply about his friend. God used him as a vessel to set me free forever!”
Strawberry followed Trump Issuance of amnesty This week, the former Republican speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives and his former aide faces corruption charges. be added to the list of celebrities and political allies who have also received impossible pardon – Former Republican governor of Connecticut, former Republican lawmaker, reality TV star, and more. convicted of bank fraud and tax evasion.
Strawberry played for the Mets, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants from 1983 to 1999. won the world series He played with Dwight Gooden and Keith Hernandez with the Mets in 1986, and with the Yankees in 1996, 1998, and 1999.
Ichigo was hospitalized due to illness. heart attack March 2024, the day before he turns 62 years old. That same year, the Mets retired his number 18. emotional strawberry “I’m really, really sorry to have to leave you all,” he told the Citi Field crowd. “I’ve never played baseball in front of fans bigger than you.”
