NFL investigating messages between Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and Jeffrey Epstein | New York Giants
The NFL says it is investigating links between New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Tisch’s name appeared more than 400 times in emails related to Epstein released by the US justice department last week. Tisch has never been charged with any crimes related to the Epstein investigation.
“The league is aware of the reports and Steve’s response. Our office will investigate the matter to understand the facts,” the NFL said in a statement Monday.
Emails sent in 2013 include messages in which Epstein introduced Tisch to various women.
In a May 2013 communication, Epstein appeared to offer Tisch a meeting with a Russian woman. Tisch said after a minute: “Fun?” he asked. The next month, Tisch asked Epstein several questions about a different woman from Tahiti, including whether she was a “working girl.” “Never,” Epstein replied.
In another email, Epstein pursued Tisch about a woman the Giants co-owner had met.
“[R]Epstein wrote: “Very good job.”[S]He wants to go to the game, he is a little scared due to the age difference, but go slowly… [I] will try to persuade him not to return to Ukraine. Getting him to cry worked.
Tisch wrote: “Nice report… Funny comment about crying!!!” he replied.
Tisch, 76, denied any wrongdoing in a statement Friday.
“We had a brief relationship where we exchanged emails about adult women and also discussed movies, philanthropy and investments,” Tisch said of her relationship with Epstein. “I never accepted him to any of his invitations and I never went to his island. As we all know by now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret being with.”
The NFL could punish Tisch under its personal conduct policy even if there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
“Everyone involved in the league is required to refrain from ‘conduct that undermines the integrity of the NFL and the public’s trust in it,'” the policy states. “Merely being found not guilty of a crime in a court of law is not enough. We are all held to higher standards and must act responsibly, in a manner that supports NFL values and in accordance with the law.”
The most notable example of this came in 2023, when the league was fined $60 million after it was revealed that former Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder had sexually harassed a team employee and supervised team executives who deliberately withheld millions of dollars in revenue from other clubs.
Tisch won an Academy Award in 1994 for producing Forrest Gump and is the president and vice president of the Giants. He has been with the team since his father, Preston Tisch, purchased 50% of the Giants from the Mara family in 1991.
The documents were disclosed under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which took effect after months of public and political pressure, requiring the government to open its files on the late financier and his confidant and one-time girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after he was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges.
