Former MLB star Darryl Strawberry is giving “all glory to God” after President Donald Trump granted him clemency for a 1995 tax evasion charge. Speaking at Sheridan Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Strawberry told the congregation, “God just completely set me free when he gave me a pardon from President Donald J. Trump,” adding that other presidents “had opportunities” but did not act.
The White House announcement noted Strawberry served time, repaid back taxes after pleading guilty to one count of tax evasion, and highlighted his later sobriety, Christian faith, and work toward launching a recovery center in Florida. Strawberry has previously described growing up with an alcoholic, abusive father, and said unresolved pain helped fuel later addiction even as his baseball career soared.
He recounted turning to alcohol, amphetamines, and eventually cocaine as his “outlet and escape.” He later faced additional legal trouble, including a 1999 no-contest plea involving cocaine possession and solicitation of a prostitute, and served 11 months in prison in 2002 after parole violations.
Strawberry said he gave his life to Christ amid that turmoil and began overcoming addiction. He now travels widely preaching the Gospel, saying he has been anointed to proclaim God’s truth “unapologetically” and without compromising Scripture. Preaching from Romans 8:28, Strawberry told the church God can work “all things” for good, adding, “All glory to God because he found me in a pit and put me in a pulpit.”
Addressing the pardon, he said, “If God didn’t forgive sinners like me, heaven would be empty.” Strawberry also said Trump, whom he came to know through “Celebrity Apprentice,” called him personally and told him he was granting a full pardon in light of his changed life, faith, sobriety, and efforts to help others. Strawberry later wrote that the moment was not about politics but about God using Trump “as a vessel to set me free forever.”
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