Roger Goodell Addresses Steve Tisch’s Past Ties to Jeffrey Epstein: “We’re Going to Look at All the Facts”
As the NFL gears up for its biggest week of the year, commissioner Roger Goodell found himself addressing a serious off-field issue involving one of the league’s longtime owners. On Monday, during his annual pre-Super Bowl press conference, Goodell responded publicly for the first time to questions about New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch’s past association with Jeffrey Epstein - the late financier and convicted sex offender.
The league had already issued a statement earlier in the day acknowledging the situation. Goodell’s comments largely echoed that stance: cautious, but clear that the NFL intends to investigate further.
“Well, you may be getting ahead of yourself on the second part,” Goodell said when asked whether Tisch could face discipline under the league’s personal conduct policy. “But I would say that absolutely we are going to look at all the facts.
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.”
The league’s earlier statement was similarly measured: “The league is aware of the reports and Steve’s response. Our office will look into the matter to understand the facts.”
That leaves the door open for potential disciplinary action, depending on what the league uncovers. The NFL has previously held owners accountable under its personal conduct policy - a policy designed to apply not just to players, but to everyone in the league’s orbit, including ownership.
The situation stems from a batch of emails released Friday by the Department of Justice. In those emails, dated 2013, Tisch appears to have relied on Epstein to help arrange encounters with women. There is no indication from the emails that the women were underage.
Tisch issued a statement Friday night through a Giants spokesperson. While he did not mention Epstein by name, he acknowledged a “brief association,” saying:
“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.”
The timeline is important here. By 2013 - when these emails were sent - Epstein had already been convicted in Florida in 2008 for procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute.
He served roughly 13 months in custody, with significant work release privileges. That conviction was public record by the time Tisch and Epstein were in contact.
What remains unclear is whether Tisch was aware of Epstein’s criminal history at the time of their communication. His statement did not address that point directly.
For now, the league is in fact-finding mode. Goodell made it clear that no decisions will be made until the NFL fully understands the scope and context of Tisch’s involvement. But the commissioner didn’t dismiss the situation either - and with the league’s personal conduct policy squarely in play, this is a story that’s likely far from over.
As the NFL continues its investigation, the spotlight will remain on how the league handles accountability at the ownership level - particularly in a case with such serious implications.