49ers owner Jed York suspended 6 games, fined $500K after prostitution sting arrest

The NFL has suspended San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York for six regular-season games and fined him $500,000 for violating the personal-conduct policy, stemming from his August arrest in a prostitution sting in East Palestine, Ohio, the league announced Friday.The NFL said in a statement that York has stayed away from the 49ers and from league meetings during the first three weeks of the season, and that those weeks will count toward his suspension. He can return to the team on Oct. 20.York said in a statement that he accepts the NFL's decision "in full.""To my family, to the players, coaches, and employees of the San Francisco 49ers, to our fans and partners, I am deeply sorry," York added in the statement. "This was an inexcusable mistake and I take full responsibility. What I did does not reflect my values or the man I strive to be for my family. While I fell short of the model I want to set for my sons, I now hope to show them the importance of owning up to one's failures, and that even our worst moments teach us to be better."Leading the 49ers is a privilege, and one I don't take lightly. Your trust will have to be earned back over time, and I look forward to that work ahead."York was arrested Aug. 23 after responding to an undercover advertisement on a "known prostitution website" using the pseudonym "Joe" to arrange a meeting at a mobile home park, according to an incident report from the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force. He negotiated a price of $160 for one hour of "full service sexual activity" and was arrested by police after he arrived at the park, the report said.York was initially charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools -- which can apply to items designed or adapted for criminal use, such as a cell phone --before pleading no contest to disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools, both misdemeanors. He was sentenced to two days in jail and fined $1,150.The NFL's personal conduct policy applies to all league members, including owners. The league did not discipline New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft after he was charged in 2019 with two misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution, charges that were later dropped. Late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was suspended for six games and fined $500,000 after pleading guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated in 2014.York, who is from the Youngstown, Ohio, area, was not around the 49ers this summer during training camp, according to coach Kyle Shanahan, who said the owner's arrest would not be a distraction for the team. The 49ers are off to a 3-0 start after beating the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3.The York family took control of the 49ers in 2000 when, following a corruption case in Louisiana, then-owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. ceded the franchise to his sister, Denise DeBartolo York.Jed York began working under his father, acting owner John York, in the early 2000s and in 2008 became the franchise's CEO, which involved running the team's day-to-day activities. In 2024, he acquired enough of his mother's stake in the team to become the principal owner.Jed York and 49ers Enterprises are also co-owners of the Leeds United soccer club in the Premier League and of the Scottish Premiership team Rangers F.C.This article originally appeared in The Athletic.