Trump pardons former baseball player Darryl Strawberry for tax evasion and cocaine possession

US President Donald Trump on Friday pardoned former Major League Baseball player Darryl Strawberry , who had faced legal problems for tax evasion in 1995 and cocaine possession charges.

The White House reported that Trump "approved a pardon for the three-time World Series champion and eight-time Major League Baseball All-Star."

The pardon was granted after considering that the former baseball player "served his sentence and paid his back taxes after pleading guilty to a charge of tax evasion."

Strawberry, 63, was one of baseball's biggest stars in the 1980s with the New York Mets, but his career was marred by repeated addiction problems and several arrests that kept him away from the diamonds.

According to the Administration's statement, the former baseball player "found faith in Christianity and has remained sober for more than a decade."

Strawberry posted a photo of himself with the president on Instagram and wrote: "Thank you, President Trump, for my full pardon and for ending this chapter of my life, allowing me to be truly free and cleansed of my past."

This year, Trump has granted pardons to more than 1,500 people, including those convicted for the January 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol, as well as political figures convicted of corruption, such as former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Former members of Congress and other former officials were also included in several rounds of clemency throughout the year.