NFL's Stalling on Tisch-Epstein Links Raises Questions About Accountability

United States - Ekhbary News Agency

NFL's Stalling on Tisch-Epstein Links Raises Questions About Accountability

Four weeks after the release of deeply unsettling emails between notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, the National Football League (NFL) faces escalating scrutiny over its sluggish response. The correspondence, which surfaced in early February, revealed Epstein's repeated efforts to connect Tisch with various women, whom Tisch occasionally referred to with alarming casualness as 'my present' or 'my surprise.' These revelations have triggered urgent calls for a thorough investigation, putting the league's commitment to its own personal conduct standards squarely in the spotlight.

In the immediate aftermath, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated during Super Bowl week that the league would 'look at all the facts' to determine whether a full investigation was warranted for potential violations of its personal conduct policy. However, weeks later, the progress of this supposed 'fact-finding mission' remains disturbingly opaque. The league has largely remained silent, referring all inquiries back to Goodell's vague early February comments, leaving observers to wonder if any formal inquiry has truly commenced, and if so, what its scope entails.

This silence naturally prompts legitimate questions about the distinction between merely 'looking at all the facts' and conducting a comprehensive 'investigation.' Presumably, an investigation implies a more detailed and significant examination, involving additional inquiry and interviews, which appears conspicuously absent from the league's public response. Sources familiar with league processes, speaking recently to ESPN, indicated a perceived lack of urgency on the matter within higher echelons. Cynically, they suggest the league office might be banking on public attention eventually moving on, a strategy that could significantly damage the NFL's long-term reputation and public trust.

While Tisch has not been accused of any crimes, the NFL's own 2022 Personal Conduct Policy sets a much higher bar. The policy explicitly states that 'everyone who is part of the league must refrain from 'conduct detrimental to the integrity and public confidence' of the NFL.' Furthermore, it emphasizes that owners are held to a 'higher standard' and subject to 'more significant discipline' than players. The Tisch family has owned approximately half of the Giants since 1991, with Steve Tisch himself controlling a significant portion, making him directly accountable to these stringent standards.

The NFL's Personal Conduct Policy, issued in 2022, unequivocally reads, in part: 'It is a privilege to be part of the National Football League. Everyone who is part of the league must refrain from 'conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in' the NFL.' This includes owners, coaches, players, other team employees, game officials, and employees of the league office, NFL Films, NFL Network, or any other NFL business. 'Conduct by anyone in the league that is illegal, violent, dangerous, or irresponsible puts innocent victims at risk, damages the reputation of others in the game, and undercuts public respect and support for the NFL.' The policy further mandates: 'We must endeavor at all times to be people of high character; we must show respect for others inside and outside our workplace; and we must conduct ourselves in ways that favorably reflect on ourselves, our teams, the communities we represent, and the NFL.'

The fact that Tisch's name is mentioned at least 440 times in the Epstein files raises deeply troubling questions. Sorting through these 'facts' should hardly be time-consuming, reportedly taking less than an hour to review. While the conduct detailed in the documents might not be illegal, it is undeniably 'creepy and concerning' and leads to a myriad of ethical inquiries. How, for instance, did Tisch know Epstein, despite having just a 'brief association,' was capable of introducing him to so many young women? Why exactly did Tisch think Epstein had that kind of influence over said women? Did Tisch ever see or hear that any other women were actually underage, or that Epstein was engaged in any other disgusting activity? Was there ever any hesitation in inviting a convicted felon and registered sex offender to sit in the owner's suite? If someone such as Jeffrey Epstein was deemed an appropriate guest, who else has Tisch been hosting in the owner's suite?

Certainly, Tisch, with his intelligence and life experience, understands that predators like Epstein are aided in trafficking women via their association with rich, famous, and powerful people who provide the illusion of legitimacy and safety. Even the most innocent of those who befriended Epstein played some role in this horrific story. While there is nothing inherently wrong with the league taking it 'one step at a time' and analyzing the facts before jumping to a decision, publicly, there are no other facts available. Epstein died in prison in 2019, the women mentioned in the emails are not fully named, and no known exculpatory evidence has emerged. As such, the very low bar to, at the very least, begin a real investigation seems to have been cleared.

If NFL executives wish to assert otherwise – that they believe there's nothing to see here, that this isn't worth inconveniencing a co-owner of one of the league's signature franchises with a few questions, and that everyone should simply move on and forget about Steve Tisch and his predatory pen pal/wingman – they owe it to the public to explain why. Nothing would be more 'detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in' the NFL than continued silence or complacency in the face of such serious allegations involving one of its owners.

Ekhbary News Agency