The NFL has announced it will review purported ties between New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and the late Jeffrey Epstein following the recent release of documents by the U.S. Department of Justice.
“The league is aware of the reports and Steve’s response. Our office will look into the matter to understand the facts,” they said in a Monday statement.
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Commissioner Roger Goodell stated during a pre-Super Bowl LX news conference that the league would “look at all the facts” regarding Tisch’s mentions in the files, which exceed 400 appearances across more than three million pages.
Goodell emphasized examining the context to determine whether it is relevant to the NFL’s personal conduct policy, while stressing the need to gather facts first.
“Well, you may be getting ahead of yourself on the second part, but I would say that absolutely we are going to look at all the facts,” he said when asked about potentially discipline, admitting the optics hurt the league. “We’re going to look at the context of those, we’re going to try to understand that, and we’ll look at how that falls under the policy. But I think we take one step at a time. Let’s get the facts first.
“We’ll continue to follow any of the facts that come up, and we’ll determine whether we open an investigation or not based on those facts.”
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The documents, released last week, include 2013 emails where Epstein allegedly connected Tisch with various adult women, often with descriptions and arrangements for meetings, dinners, or opportunities linked to Tisch’s film industry work. Discussions also reportedly covered movies, philanthropy, and investments.
Tisch, 76, issued a statement acknowledging a brief association with Epstein.
“We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments. 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,” he wrote.
Importantly, Tisch has not been accused of any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes related to Epstein’s activities. Despite this, some commentators and observers have called for potential disciplinary action under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, citing concerns about judgment in the association.
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The league has indicated it is aware of Tisch’s response and will proceed by understanding the facts of the matter.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: NFL ‘will look into’ Giants co-owner Steve Tisch’s ties to Epstein