Roger Goodell Addresses Steve Tisch-Jeffrey Epstein Connection, Says NFL Will “Look at All the Facts”
As the NFL gears up for Super Bowl week, Commissioner Roger Goodell took the podium Monday for his annual pre-game press conference. But before the focus could fully shift to the field, Goodell was asked to address a situation involving one of the league’s owners - Giants co-owner Steve Tisch - and his past correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein.
This marks the first time Goodell has publicly commented on the matter, and his response made it clear: the league is aware, and it’s taking a measured approach.
“Absolutely we are going to look at all the facts,” Goodell said when asked whether the NFL will investigate Tisch under the league’s personal conduct policy. “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.”
Goodell didn’t commit to any specific disciplinary path, but he didn’t rule it out either. His comments echoed a statement released by the league earlier in the day, which confirmed that the NFL is aware of the situation and plans to review it further.
“The league is aware of the reports and Steve’s response. Our office will look into the matter to understand the facts,” the statement read.
When pressed on whether Tisch’s connection to Epstein could reflect poorly on the league, Goodell acknowledged the concern.
“Sure, but that’s why we have a personal conduct policy, and that’s why we’ll look into the facts,” he said.
The renewed scrutiny stems from emails released Friday by the Department of Justice. The emails, dated 2013, show Tisch communicating with Epstein and relying on him to arrange encounters with women. There’s no indication the women were underage, but the association itself is raising eyebrows - especially given Epstein’s criminal history.
Tisch addressed the situation in a statement issued Friday night through a Giants spokesperson. While he didn’t mention Epstein by name, he acknowledged a “brief association” that included email exchanges about adult women, as well as discussions about movies, philanthropy, and investments.
“I did not take him up on any of his invitations and never went to his island,” Tisch said in the statement. “As we all know now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with.”
What remains unclear is whether Tisch was aware, in 2013, of Epstein’s 2008 conviction in Florida for procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute. Epstein served roughly 13 months in custody, with extensive work release. That conviction was already public record by the time Tisch and Epstein were corresponding.
So where does this leave things? The NFL has disciplined owners in the past under its personal conduct policy, and Goodell’s comments suggest that possibility remains on the table here.
But the commissioner made one thing clear: the league won’t jump to conclusions. The next step is fact-finding - understanding the full context of the relationship and determining whether it constitutes a violation of league policy.
For now, the NFL is in wait-and-see mode. But the spotlight is on, and the league knows it.