President Donald Trump has granted clemency to former New York Mets star Darryl Strawberry for tax evasion and drug offenses, pointing to the 1983 National League Rookie of the Year's post-playing career commitment to his Christian faith and sustained sobriety.
TL;DR
- President Trump granted a pardon to former New York Mets star Darryl Strawberry for tax evasion and drug offenses.
- Strawberry's pardon acknowledges his post-playing career commitment to Christian faith and sustained sobriety for over ten years.
- The former outfielder admitted guilt to tax evasion in 1995 and faced legal, health, and personal difficulties.
- Strawberry expressed gratitude to President Trump for the pardon, calling it a release from his past.
Strawberry, an outfielder, earned eight All-Star selections, seven of which were with The Mets between 1983 and 1990. Over his 17-season career, he amassed 335 home runs, 1,000 RBIs, and 221 stolen bases.
Facing subsequent legal, health, and personal difficulties, Strawberry was charged with tax evasion and ultimately admitted guilt in 1995 to one felony offense. This stemmed from his omission of $350,000 in earnings from autographs, public engagements, and the sale of collectibles.
Strawberry consented to a payment exceeding $430,000 in connection with the legal matter. He received a diagnosis of colon cancer and subsequently underwent surgical intervention and chemotherapy during 1998.
The subsequent year, Strawberry received probation and was banned from baseball after admitting to charges of cocaine possession and soliciting a prostitute. He later testified in court about battling depression and was accused of breaking his probation multiple times, notably on his 40th birthday in 2002.
Strawberry ultimately served 11 months in Florida state prison, and was released in 2003.
On Friday, a White House representative stated that Trump had granted a pardon to Strawberry, who had completed his prison sentence and settled outstanding tax obligations. The official, speaking anonymously to provide specifics on a pardon not yet officially publicized, mentioned that Strawberry had embraced Christianity, maintained sobriety for over ten years, and become involved in ministry work, establishing a recovery center that remains operational.
Strawberry posted on Instagram posted a photo of himself with Trump and commented, “Thank you, President @realdonaldtrump for my full pardon and for finalizing this part of my life, allowing me to be truly free and clean from all of my past.”
On Thursday afternoon, he was at home, attending to his wife as she recuperated from surgery, “when my phone kept ringing relentlessly.”
“Half asleep, I glanced over and saw a call from Washington DC. Curious, I answered, and to my amazement, the lady on the line said, ‘Darryl Strawberry, you have a call from the President of the United States, Donald Trump,’” Strawberry wrote. “I put it on speakerphone with my wife nearby, and President Trump spoke warmly about my baseball days in NYC, praising me as one the greatest player of the ’80s and celebrating the Mets. Then, he told me he was granting me a full pardon from my past.”
Before his two presidential victories, Trump was a prominent New York real estate developer and a reality TV personality.
Strawberry said he was “overwhelmed with gratitude — thanking God for setting me free from my past, helping me become a better Man, Husband and Father.”
“This experience has deepened my faith and commitment to working for His kingdom as a true follower of Jesus Christ,” Strawberry wrote, while also noting “This has nothing to do with politics — it’s about a Man, President Trump, caring deeply for a friend. God used him as a vessel to set me free forever!”
Strawberry’s followed Trump issuing pardons this week for a former Republican speaker of the Tennessee House and a onetime aide on public corruption charges. It adds to a list of celebrities and political allies who have similarly received unlikely pardons — including a former Republican governor of Connecticut, an ex-GOP congressman and reality TV stars who had been convicted of cheating banks and evading taxes.
Strawberry was a member of the Mets, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants from 1983 to 1999. He won the World Series with the 1986 Mets, alongside notable players such as Dwight Gooden and Keith Hernandez, and with The Yankees in 1996, 1998, and 1999.
Strawberry was admitted to the hospital in March 2024 due to a heart attack, just one day prior to his 62nd birthday. In the same year, the Mets honored him by retiring his No. 18 jersey, and an emotional Strawberry addressed the attendees at Citi Field, stating: “I’m truly, deeply sorry that I ever left you guys. I never played baseball in front of fans greater than you guys.”