The NFL said Monday that it is aware emails released by the Justice Department on Friday show that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein connected New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch with numerous women and that it will look into the matter.
"The league is aware of the reports and Steve's response. Our office will look into the matter to understand the facts," the NFL said in a statement.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked Monday if Tisch could be subject to discipline from the league.
"You may be getting ahead of yourself on the second part," he said regarding the question on discipline. "We are going to look at all the facts. We are going to look at the context of those and try to understand that, we will look at how that falls under the policy. But let's get the facts first."
Asked to clarify if the NFL was opening an investigation, Goodell said the league needed to gather the facts first before determining that step.
"I don't even know the status of all the release. I know that 3 million documents came out last week. Listen, we'll continue to follow any of the facts that come up and determine if we open an investigation based on those facts," he said.
Goodell acknowledged he was concerned with how the scope of that story reflects on the league but said, "that's why we have a personal conduct policy and why we will look into the facts."
Tisch's name appears at least 440 times among the more than 3 million documents released. According to documents included in the broader release of Epstein-related files, most of Tisch's correspondence with Epstein appears to be from about 2013.
"We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments," Tisch said of Epstein in a statement Friday. "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 NFL has fined owners in the past even if it finds that no illegal activity occurred.
"Everyone who is part of the league must refrain from 'conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in' the NFL," the league's personal conduct policy reads. "It is not enough simply to avoid being found guilty of a crime in a court of law. We are all held to a higher standard and must conduct ourselves in a way that is responsible, promotes the values of the NFL, and is lawful."
The policy also notes that, "Ownership and club or league management have traditionally been held to a higher standard and will be subject to more significant discipline when violations of the Personal Conduct Policy occur."
Former Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders owners Jerry Richardson and Dan Snyder were both fined by the NFL after investigations into workplace misconduct. Richardson was fined $2.75 million and Snyder was fined $60 million by the league.
Tisch, 76, is chairman, co-owner and vice president of the Giants and has produced dozens of Hollywood films, including "Forrest Gump" and "Risky Business."
Epstein, a wealthy businessman, was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. While awaiting trial, he was found dead in his jail cell on Aug. 10, 2019. The coroner ruled his death a suicide. Epstein faced accusations of sexually abusing underage girls. In 2008, Epstein was charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida and became a registered sex offender. He served 13 months of an 18-month prison sentence.
Epstein was well-known for his connections with politicians, celebrities and business executives. The Brooklyn, New York, native started his career as a financier at Bear Stearns. He later set up business operations in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Epstein bought an adjacent 72-acre island called Little St. James for just shy of $8 million in 1998, and that was where he allegedly operated his sex-trafficking activities at what is known as Epstein Island.
ESPN's Kalyn Kahler, Dan Wetzel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
