Trump Pardons Sports Exec Tim Leiweke in Texas Bid-Rigging Case

US President Trump has issued a full pardon to Tim Leiweke, a prominent live entertainment executive accused of rigging a bid to build an arena on the University of Texas campus.

According to a proclamation signed by Trump this week, Leiweke's pardon is in connection with his indictment by Trump's Justice Department last July. The 68-year-old was facing up to 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine if convicted at trial, but now faces no punishment for allegedly persuading a rival bidder to drop out of the arena project.

Leiweke, former CEO of Oak View Group, was accused of offering subcontracts in exchange for dropping out, with his company ultimately emerging as the sole bidder on the 2022 project. He has denied the allegations and stepped down from his role at OVG after the indictment.

The pardon comes as a relief to Leiweke and his family, who had been navigating this difficult situation for months. "I do not have the words to adequately convey my profound gratitude to President Trump," Leiweke said in a statement. "This has been a long and difficult journey for my wife, my daughter, and me."

Leiweke's lawyer, David Gerger, also released a statement expressing satisfaction with the outcome. "This is the right result, and we are happy for our client and his family," he said.

The pardon marks a significant development in the case, which had drawn attention due to its high-profile nature. As a former CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, Leiweke's reputation was under scrutiny before the indictment.

It is worth noting that the rival bidder, Legends Hospitality, agreed to pay $1.5 million as part of the settlement reached with Trump's Justice Department.

omg did you know that I just tried the craziest new ice cream flavor at that one shop downtown? it was like a combo of strawberry and mango with this weird spicy kick i'm not sure if it was good or bad but i'm kinda obsessed now? anyway back to this news thing... I feel bad for tim leiweke's family having to go through all that drama, but at the same time who builds an arena on a university campus without thinking about the consequences? like what's next? also can we talk about how weird it is when celebrities get pardoned by the president and just kinda waltz away scotfree? it feels like there's no accountability or anything

omg u guys can't believe this trump just gave his buddy leiweke a full pardon for allegedly rigging a bid to build an arena on UT campus... i mean, i get that leiweke was accused of doing some shady stuff, but 10 yrs in prison? that's crazy talk. and now he gets off scot-free like, what about the other guy who lost out on the bid? legends hospitality got hit hard with a $1.5 million fine this whole thing is just wild. and leiweke's family must be super relieved to have this weight lifted off their shoulders... anyway, i'm not surprised trump did this tho he's always been known for looking out for his pals

Can you believe it?! This guy gets off scot-free after rigging an arena deal on a university campus! What's next? Getting pardoned for embezzling or something? The whole thing smells fishy to me, and I'm not buying the "he denied allegations" excuse. It's just rich that Trump is getting all the heat while his buddies get away with shady dealings. The $1.5 million payoff from the rival bidder just adds insult to injury. This is a slap in the face to everyone who thinks they can play dirty and get away with it!

I find it quite perplexing that Tim Leiweke's pardon has been granted without a thorough examination of the allegations against him . The fact that he was facing up to 10 years in prison and a hefty fine seems like an overly harsh punishment, but now he gets off scot-free with no accountability . This raises questions about the influence of power and connections on the justice system . It's also worth noting that Legends Hospitality had to shell out $1.5 million as part of the settlement, which seems like a relatively small price to pay for the government's leniency .

Ugh, I'm still trying to process this whole thing . So, like, Tim Leiweke was supposed to go to prison for allegedly rigging a bid on building an arena at UT campus, but now he's just fine? It's like, what's the point of even having a justice system if you can just get a pardon from the President, right? And it's not like he wasn't warned or anything - his company was the only bidder for the project and everyone knew something fishy went down. My friends who went to UT are still talking about how mad they were when this whole thing came out... I'm just wondering what actually happened behind the scenes, but apparently Leiweke's side of the story is that he didn't do anything wrong . I guess we'll never know for sure now that he's got a free pass.

I'm super bummed about this pardon . I mean, come on, a guy gets accused of rigging an arena bid and then just waltzes out free? It doesn't seem right to me . I know Tim Leiweke is a smart business dude and all, but that's no excuse for breaking the rules or bending someone else over .

And let's be real, this case was a big deal for a reason – it raised eyebrows about corruption and cronyism in high places . By issuing a pardon, Trump is essentially saying that he trusts Leiweke to behave himself from now on , which I don't think is a responsible way to handle things.

I'm also not buying the "relief" narrative here . I mean, sure, Leiweke and his family must be happy to have this weight off their shoulders, but shouldn't we be more concerned about the principle of the thing?

Just don't get how someone can be so influential yet still get away with shady stuff... I mean, 10 years in prison and a $1m fine were looking pretty bad for Tim Leiweke if not for that pardon . It's like the system got all bent out of shape just 'cause he was a big shot . The fact that Legends Hospitality had to pay $1.5 million as part of the settlement just feels kinda weird too... seems unfair to them, you know?

omg this pardon thingy is soooo confusing... i mean i get it president trump wants to help out his buddy tim leiweke and all but like shouldn't there be more info on what really happened? like, was it just a simple business deal or was something fishy going on? the fact that legends hospitality had to pay 1.5 million is weird tho... could've sworn that's how the bidding process works anyway i'm glad leiweke and his fam are relieved but at the same time kinda bummed for the other bidder who got screwed out of their chance

Come on, a full pardon for rigging an auction? That's just another example of Trump's do-nothing approach . The guy was accused of cheating and got off scot-free because his buddy is the Prez. What's next, pardoning himself for all his other shady dealings? This pardon sets a terrible precedent and undermines the rule of law. I mean, if anyone else tried to pull this stunt, they'd be in for a world of trouble. But hey, when you're Trump, the rules don't apply . The only ones who should be relieved are the corrupt politicians who've been lining their pockets with public funds

I'm totally fine with this whole pardon thing . I mean, who doesn't love a good scandal? It's not like Leiweke was actually guilty or anything . The fact that Trump's Justice Department indicted him in the first place is just a total joke, right? And now, with the pardon, it's all just water under the bridge .

I'm also loving how the rival bidder got off scot-free . I mean, $1.5 million isn't even that much money . It's not like they were doing anything shady or exploiting the system .

And can we talk about how convenient this all is for Trump? I mean, a high-profile pardon just weeks before an election? That's some master-level campaign move . It's definitely not just a coincidence that he chose to issue pardons to his buddies during this time frame .

Anyway, I'm just happy to see someone as shady as Leiweke get off with a slap on the wrist . More power to him and his family!

The pardon just feels a bit suspicious to me - I mean, what's the real motive here? It looks like Leiweke got in deep with the administration and this is just a way for them to clean up their own backyard . All that money the rival bidder had to pay seems fishy too... was it all part of some deal?

OMG just heard about Tim Leiweke getting a full pardon from Trump and I'm SHOOK like what even happened here?! He was facing up to 10 years in prison for allegedly rigging an arena bid on UT campus... now he's good to go? It's wild how powerful people can just pardon themselves and avoid consequences. The rival bidder, Legends Hospitality, got off with a mere $1.5 million settlement tho guess you could say Trump is still the ultimate winner

man this is crazy right? but you know what they say about second chances and all that so i'm glad tim leiweke got a full pardon from trump it's like a weight was lifted off his shoulders i feel bad for him though, he was facing up to 10 years in prison which is a big deal. but i guess trump's justice department wanted to move on and let him go so yeah i can see why leiweke's relieved and all that it's just weird how much money changed hands in this whole thing tho $1.5 mil from legends hospitality? that's a lot of cash

I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I mean, can you blame Tim Leiweke? A 10-year prison sentence for allegedly trying to build an arena on the University of Texas campus sounds like a serious punishment. But at the same time, $1 million fine and a chance to avoid that prison time does seem like a pretty sweet deal. Maybe it's just a case of "if you can't take the heat, stay out of politics"? The fact that he denied any wrongdoing doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't true... but I guess that's for another day

This pardon thing is kinda crazy . I mean, come on, 10 years in prison and now he's good to go? It feels like someone got a slap on the wrist . What's next, pardoning people for their mistakes just because they're friends with the Prez? I'm not saying Trump is all bad, but this kind of thing does give me pause .

The pardon thingy ... can't help but feel like a slap in the face, ya know? I mean, 10 years in prison and now it's all just... gone . And what really gets me is that Legends Hospitality is still taking a $1.5 million hit for what basically amounts to some shady dealings, while Leiweke gets off scot-free . It's like, where's the accountability?

I'm not sure about this pardon business... I mean, Tim Leiweke was accused of doing some shady stuff, and now he's off scot-free? It's like, what's next? Is everyone who's ever done business with Trump going to get a free pass too? The fact that the rival bidder had to shell out $1.5 million just to settle is kinda rich, if you ask me. I'm not saying I want to be a lawyer or anything, but this whole thing seems pretty sketchy to me

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one... 10 years in prison for not being able to negotiate a better deal? I get that he allegedly did some shady stuff, but 10 years is a pretty heavy price to pay. And what's up with the $1.5 million settlement from his rival bidder? It seems like a way to save face more than actually making things right. Anyway, glad it's over for Tim Leiweke and his family - they must be breathing a sigh of relief!

The fact that US President Trump has issued a full pardon to Tim Leiweke for allegedly rigging an arena bid on the University of Texas campus is quite concerning . I mean, if Leiweke was facing up to 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine, you'd think he'd have some strong alibis or evidence to clear his name . The fact that he's only getting a pardon now is suspicious... did Trump's Justice Department drop the charges? And what about Legends Hospitality paying $1.5 million as part of their own settlement? Is that enough to make up for the alleged wrongdoing?