One of the more interesting players to don an NFL uniform currently has a fascinating position outside football.
Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin Jr. is one of the members of the Washington State Clemency and Pardons Board.
The Seattle Times did a fascinating story on how Baldwin will play a role in the fate of six current prisoners.
On Thursday and Friday, Doug Baldwin Jr. will help decide the fate of six lives.
Without the help of Baldwin, the former Seahawks star, and the rest of the state Clemency and Pardons Board, most of the six will die in prison.https://t.co/wnG0Vt0qK0
— David Gutman (@davidlgutman) December 7, 2022
“He’s big on finding solutions that aren’t just all one track,” said Anthony Powers, the reentry program director for the Seattle Clemency Project, which Baldwin has worked with in recent years. “People want police reform, but then it’s like ‘they’re going against police.’ He’s more like, let’s work with police and the community to find something that works.”
Baldwin doesn’t necessarily view his four-year term on the Clemency and Pardons Board as a continuation of his criminal legal reform work.
“This is also an opportunity for me to learn more and get really into the weeds of how these systems actually operate,” he said.
Baldwin is a new member of the state Clemency and Pardons Board, which makes recommendations to the governor on who should be freed from prison and who will likely die behind bars. https://t.co/pvZCP46hes
— The Seattle Times (@seattletimes) December 7, 2022
Baldwin also runs an impact investment fund and is CEO of Ventrk, a health and wellness software company. He is aware of the serious nature of making these board determinations.
“You’re making a decision based on, is this person willing to acclimate back into society and be a productive member of society,” he said. “I firmly believe in second chances. I firmly believe in third, fourth, fifth chances. We’re all human, we all make mistakes, we all do things we’re not proud of, but it’s how do you recover from those situations.”
