President Donald Trump just held a surprise media event at the White House to announce he's pardoning former SF 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr..
Now, some back story ...
Back in the late '90s, DeBartolo -- who owned the 9ers at the time -- pled guilty to his role in a riverboat gambling scandal.
Long story short ... DeBartolo claimed he was being extorted by ex-Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards -- who demanded $400,000 in cash to get the last riverboat casino license offered up by the state.
In 1998, DeBartolo was found guilty of failing to report the transaction -- a felony -- and was sentenced to 2 years probation and ordered to pay $1 million in fines and other costs.