Recognizing how he has turned his life around WWE celebrity wrestler and rapper-turned-country star Jelly Roll has been pardoned for his past crimes.
“After thoroughly reviewing the merits of each case, I have decided to grant 33 individuals executive clemency. Each individual case is unique and warranted consideration, and I thank the Board of Parole members for their thoughtful recommendations throughout this process,” announced Tennesse Governor Bill Lee.
Jelly Roll was in and out of trouble in his teens and twenties during which he was arrested approximately 40 times including charges of drug possession, drug dealing and shoplifting.
At 16-years-old he served a little over one year in jail for aggravated robbery. At 23, he was arrested for drug possession and pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute and received eight years of court supervision and a probationary period. The pardon covers those two felony convictions.
Speaking to reporters, Gov Lee said about Jelly Roll: “His story is remarkable, and it’s a redemptive, powerful story, which is what you look for and what you hope for.”
Jelly Roll visited the governor’s mansion to accept the pardons. Jelly Roll and the Governor hugged.
Testifying before the U.S. Senate about America’s drug problem he described his former self as an “uneducated man in the kitchen playing chemist with drugs I knew absolutely nothing about.”
“I was a part of the problem. I am here now standing as a man that wants to be a part of the solution,” he said.
