Jed York's arrest casts light on family scandal that changed 49ers forever

Jed York’s weekend arrest wasn’t the first time San Francisco 49ers ownership has found itself on the wrong side of the law – though, ironically, those past legal missteps are largely why York finds himself in such a prominent position now.

York, 46, who pleaded no contest Monday, Aug. 24, to two misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools in Columbiana County, Ohio, after a charge of “engaging in prostitution” was reduced, was, until recently, the NFL’s youngest principal owner. That track largely became available to him starting in 2000, when his uncle, Pro Football Hall of Famer Eddie DeBartolo Jr., relinquished control of the team to his sister Denise DeBartolo York (Jed York’s mother) and brother-in-law John York (Jed York’s father).

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Prior to that, DeBartolo was widely perceived as an owner whom stars throughout the league wanted to play for given his demand for championship football – the 49ers won five Super Bowls between the 1981 and 1994 seasons, none since – but also his willingness to spare no expense while caring for the members of his roster. (The Niners would eventually be hit with nearly $1 million in fines and forfeited a fifth-round draft pick in 2001 plus a third-rounder in 2002 after the NFL found them guilty of circumventing the salary cap, which came into existence in 1994, during a 1999 investigation.)

But DeBartolo’s legal issues away from football ultimately drove him from the league. He pleaded guilty to one felony charge of failing to report an alleged extortion attempt in 1998 amid his attempt to obtain a riverboat gambling license in Louisiana. Former state governor Edwin Edwards allegedly attempted to extract $400,000 from DeBartolo amid his bid for the license. The NFL fined DeBartolo $1 million and suspended him for the 1999 season due to his involvement with Edwards, who was imprisoned on racketeering charges in 2002.

As for DeBartolo, who entered the Hall of Fame in 2016 and remains close to his former players – he presented former Niners coach Bill Walsh plus team and NFL legends Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Fred Dean and Charles Haley as they went into Canton – he never returned to the team as its controlling owner following the suspension.

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges after his arrest in East Palestine, Ohio. Revisit his years with the team.

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San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges after his arrest in East Palestine, Ohio. Revisit his years with the team.

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pardon DeBartolo?

Yes, DeBartolo was pardoned by president Donald Trump in February of 2020, just two weeks after the 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 54.

“He’s the main reason why we won so many Super Bowls,” Rice said of DeBartolo at the White House ceremony. “So today is a great day for him. I’m glad to be here and be a part of that. It’s just something I will never forget. This man, he has done so much in the community, has done so much in NFL football.”

He began working for the team shortly after his parents took control of it. York was installed as the CEO in 2008 and essentially became the team’s ownership face while his parents assumed co-chair roles. York acquired a controlling stake in the team from his mother in 2024, becoming its principal owner. Since 2000, the 49ers have made the playoffs nine times, won six NFC West crowns and advanced to three Super Bowls, all of them ending in defeat (2012, 2019 and 2023 seasons).

He was for a number of years, but the Indianapolis Colts‘ Carlie Irsay-Gordon, 45, displaced him when her father, former Colts owner Jim Irsay, died last year.