In the presence of several NFL stars, including legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice, President Donald Trump announced he pardoned ex-San Francisco 49ers team owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. Tuesday.

The pardon came as a surprise; on Tuesday morning, White House reporters were told "an announcement" was coming momentarily. It was soon announced that the president had signed an executive order to grant clemency to DeBartolo for his role in Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards' gambling fraud scandal in the late '90s.

Edwards allegedly extorted $400,000 from DeBartolo in order to help him get a riverboat license from the Louisiana gaming commission. In 1998, DeBartolo pleaded guilty to a felony charge of failing to report that extortion attempt.

DeBartolo did not serve any prison time for the scheme, but he was ordered to pay $1 million in fines and serve two years of probation. In the wake of the scandal, he transferred control of the 49ers to his sister, Denise York.

Despite his infamous end with the team, DeBartolo has remained tremendously popular among players, who have long lauded the family-like environment he fostered in San Francisco. He was at the helm during the 49ers' most successful years; in 23 years as team owner, the Niners won five Super Bowl titles.

"I take my hat off to Donald Trump for what he did," Rice told reporters gathered on the North Lawn.

"He's the main reason why we won so many Super Bowls," he added. "So today is a great day for him. I'm glad to be here and be a part of that. It's just something I will never forget. This man, he has done so much in the community, has done so much in NFL football."

NFL greats Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley and Jim Brown were also present at the White House ceremony.

"You know what, we all make mistakes and today the president cleared that mistake from him," said Haley, a defensive end who played on two of DeBartolo's Super Bowl-winning teams.

Katie Dowd is an SFGATE Senior Digital Editor. Contact: katie.dowd@sfgate.com | Twitter: @katiedowd