DALLAS — Michael Irvin defended San Francisco 49ers principal owner Jed York during a livestream with the streamer N3on on Kick, in a clip that circulated on X on Friday. York was arrested Aug. 23 in East Palestine, Ohio, in a prostitution sting run by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force.
Irvin, who played 12 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, explained the case to N3on on the stream before giving his position on it, according to College Sports Network. The clip was posted Friday by the X account Coach Yac.
Irvin said the public did not need to know the details of how York ended up in the sting.
“He got divorced five or six months ago, so I’m like, ‘Man, come on. Is that really a crime?’” Irvin said. “Let that man go. Leave it alone. Imagine if you’re going through a divorce and some pretty girl comes up to you. You don’t know. I don’t know how that happened. I don’t know that we need to know all of that.”
“Everybody’s paying for it,” Irvin continued. “You take her out to eat, you’re paying for it. Everybody’s paying for it. So what are we doing? Why we gotta embarrass this man for $140? People think you’re a billionaire, why didn’t you go to high-end places? The high-end places get you in trouble all the time.”
Details Of Jed York’s Arrest
According to a task force incident report obtained by The Associated Press, York responded to an advertisement police had placed on a prostitution website on Saturday, Aug. 22, using the name “Joe.” Two messages went unanswered. On Sunday morning, York texted again, and an undercover officer responded. The two agreed on $160 for one hour, per the report.
York drove a rental car to the Wheat Hill Mobile Home Community, where he was given a fictitious lot number. He turned back onto the main road when he could not find it and was stopped by marked police units. Officers seized $160 in cash.
York posted a $5,000 bond that day. On Aug. 24, he pleaded no contest in Columbiana County to disorderly conduct, amended from engaging in prostitution, and to possessing criminal tools, with the tool listed as his phone. He was sentenced to two days in the Columbiana County Jail with credit for one day served and fined $1,150, per WKBN. The $160 was forfeited to the task force as part of the plea, and York completed an online course. A motion to seal the court file was denied.
TMZ and the California Post obtained bodycam video of the arrest. In it, York tells an officer he was “just driving” and says no when asked whether he was meeting anyone.
The 49ers issued a one-sentence statement after the plea.
“As this is a legal matter, which has been resolved, we will not be providing any further comment at this time,” the team said.
NFL Review and 49ers Leadership
On Aug. 26, at the owners meetings in Atlanta, Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league had opened a review.
“It’s being reviewed under the personal conduct policy,” Goodell said. “We’ll do that and when there’s something to be reported we’ll talk.”
York did not attend the Atlanta meeting. CEO Al Guido represented the 49ers. Guido was promoted from team president to CEO on Feb. 2, and York kept the principal owner title, which he formalized in 2024 by purchasing additional equity from his mother, Denise DeBartolo York. York filed for divorce from his wife, Danielle, in May, according to court records cited by the AP. He has spent the summer in Ohio, where he grew up near Youngstown.
The league reviewed New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft under the same policy after his 2019 arrest in Florida on a solicitation charge and did not discipline him after the charge was dropped. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was suspended six games and fined $500,000 in 2014 after a guilty plea to driving while impaired.
Irvin played for the Cowboys from 1988 to 1999 and finished with 750 catches, 11,904 yards, and 65 touchdowns. He won three Super Bowls, entered the Cowboys Ring of Honor in 2005, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007. Earlier this week, on The Rich Eisen Show, he predicted a 13-4 finish for Dallas and picked the Cowboys to beat San Francisco.
Dallas hosts the 49ers on Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is 3:25 p.m. CT.
