A history of presidential pardons in sports, from George Steinbrenner to Brian Urlacher’s shady brother

Sure, Nixon is not a “sports figure” per se. But he was responsible for installing the first-ever bowling alley at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and by most accounts, he was pretty good. Nixon was also arguably the greatest (or at least the most enthusiastic) football mind to win the presidency, phoning in playcalling advice to coaches like Don Shula of the Dolphins and George Allen of his beloved Washington team. Football even helped Nixon find common ground with one of his most vehement critics, the singularly talented and prolifically drug-addled journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Unfortunately, Nixon had precious little time to pursue his athletic interests in the White House as he often found himself busy hating Jews, Blacks, and Democrats. The 37th president of the United States resigned in disgrace amid the Watergate scandal and immediately received a full preemptive pardon from his successor and former VP Gerald Ford, coincidentally the best football player ever to serve as president.