The NFL’s investigation into New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein has yet to reveal any wrongdoing by the 77-year-old film producer, according to commissioner Roger Goodell.
Speaking at this week’s league meetings in Phoenix, Goodell told reporters the NFL has yet to find any cause for action under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy.
‘There hasn’t been,’ Goodell responded. ‘As we said, we’re going to follow the facts. We have been doing that. We’ve been very focused on making sure we know everything that’s out there. We’ve engaged with others to make sure we have that information.’
Steve, along with siblings Laurie and Jonathan, recently transferred their ownership stakes in the team to their children’s trusts. That decision came after Steve’s name surfaced more than 400 times in court files related to Epstein, the convicted sex offender who was found dead in a New York jail cell while awaiting trial on new charges in 2019.
The Tisch family’s re-organization of their 45-percent stake in the team was unrelated to the NFL’s investigation into Steve’s ties to Epstein, a Giants spokesman told the Daily Mail on March 11.
‘As you know, the Tisch family also made some family changes,’ Goodell told reporters in Phoenix on Tuesday. ‘Steve, and Jon, and Laurie actually did some transactions as part of their estate planning and are no longer owners.’
The NFL’s probe into New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein has yet to reveal any wrongdoing by the 77-year-old film producer, according to Roger Goodell
Tisch, 77, has denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and released a statement in February expressing his remorse for their relationship. He has not been charged with any crime
Jeffrey Epstein died in a jail cell in 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking allegations
Goodell then clarified that Steve’s changing ownership status has not shielded him from league scrutiny.
‘But we have not found anything that’s a violation at this stage,’ Goodell said.
Steve, 77, has denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and released a statement last month expressing his remorse for their relationship. He has not been charged with any crime.
‘We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments,’ the statement read. ‘I did not take him up on any of his invitations and never went to his island. As we all know now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with.’
In one email exchange revealed in the files, Tisch asked Epstein if a woman was ‘pro or civilian.’
‘[Do] you want to know if she as sweet as she seems?’ Epstein responded, adding: ‘boyfriends? trustworthy, etc. she is earnest. is a civilian, but russian, and rarely tells the full truth , but fun.’
Epstein also told Tisch to ‘send me a number to call’ because he didn’t ‘like records of these conversations.’
Another email revealed Epstein telling Tisch he ‘did very well’ with a female acquaintance, who was ‘a little freaked out by the age difference.’
The emails were primarily exchanged around 2013.
Co-Owners John Mara and Steve Tisch celebrate after the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 21-17 to win Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 5, 2012
Prior to recent transfers detailed in the memo, Steve, Laurie and Jonathan Tisch collectively owned 45 percent of the team. The heirs of Giants founder Tim Mara still control the other 45 percent after a 10-percent sale to late billionaire David Koch’s family in September.
The Tisch family bought into the Giants in 1991, when patriarch Bob agreed to take on half the team from Wellington Mara for a reported $75 million.
Bob, the chairman of the Loews Corporation, would die in 2005 just a few weeks after Wellington. Their children, led by John Mara, have been in charge of the NFL franchise ever since.
The Giants are worth $10.1 billion, according to Forbes’ latest valuation.
Away from the NFL, Steve primarily works as a film producer and has earned credits on a number of high-profile movies such as American History X, Snatch and an upcoming biopic on the late NFL coach and announcer, John Madden.
His sister is the founder of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund and former chair of the Center for Arts Education, while their brother, Jonathan, is a hotelier who currently serves on the Tufts University Board of Trustees.
The late Jerry Richardson is one NFL owner who Roger Goodell punished. Richardson was forced to pay a $2.7m fine over allegations of sexism and racism before selling the team
Although Goodell is paid by NFL owners, he has punished them for violations of league policy from time to time.
In 2018, a league investigation into allegations of sexism and racism against then-Panthers owner Jerry Richardson resulted in a $2.7 million fine. Richardson ultimately sold the team amid intense public pressure.
Late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was given a $500,000 fine and suspended six games in 2014 after a DUI arrest.
Another owner who has since passed away, the New Orleans Saints’ Tom Benson, got a similar fine in 2012 over the team’s ‘Bountygate’ scandal, which also resulted in the loss of draft picks.
