MELBOURNE, Australia — The NFL has not finished its investigation into San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York, commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday, 17 days after York pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors in Ohio.
On Netflix’s pregame show before the 49ers opened their season against the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Goodell tied any announcement on discipline to the end of that review.
“When we get [the investigation] completed, we’ll make an announcement at that point in time,” Goodell said.
Police arrested York on the morning of Sunday, Aug. 23, at a mobile home community in East Palestine, Ohio, near Youngstown, where he was born and raised. Police said York was attempting to pay $160 for sex with a woman he believed to be a prostitute. The Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force ran the operation.
Jed York’s Plea And Sentence In Columbiana County
York pleaded no contest the next morning to disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools. Court records show he was initially charged with engaging in prostitution before prosecutors amended that count to disorderly conduct. According to prosecutors, the criminal tools charge came from York using his phone to respond to an undercover online prostitution advertisement.
He was sentenced to one day in jail on each count, to be served concurrently, and was credited with one day served. York had been released after posting a $5,000 bond. His fines totaled $1,150.
Most of these prostitution cases typically end in plea agreements, Columbiana County Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino said in an email.
“Each case is looked at individually and for specific facts of the conduct, what evidence the police provide, and input from the arresting officer,” Abruzzino said. “You also have to factor in criminal history of the defendant, and whether or not they have committed these types of offenses in the past, and importantly, what the judges will allow.”
As part of the plea agreement, York’s phone was returned to him. The $160 seized during the arrest was directed to the task force.
NFL Reviewing Jed York Under The Personal Conduct Policy
The league said Aug. 24 that the matter would be reviewed under the personal conduct policy. Owners are subject to fines or suspensions for violating it.
At the owners’ meetings in Atlanta on Aug. 26, Goodell said the case was “being reviewed under the personal conduct policy” and that the league would talk “when there’s something to be reported.” York did not attend the meetings. The East Palestine Police Department released body camera footage of his arrest the same day.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was investigated but not punished by the league after his 2019 arrest in Florida on allegations of paying for sex at a massage parlor. The charge against Kraft was later dropped after a court ruled police had violated the rights of Kraft and other customers by secretly installing video cameras inside the spa’s massage rooms.
In 2014, Goodell suspended then-Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay six games and fined him $500,000 after Irsay pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of operating a vehicle while under the influence.
York has not been around the 49ers this summer, according to the AP. San Francisco won 12 regular-season games and a playoff game last season before losing in the divisional round at Seattle in January. The 49ers play their home opener against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 20 at 3:25 p.m. CT.
