NFL washes its hands of Giants’ Steve Tisch, but questions remain

The best way to investigate someone is to make it so you don’t have to.

That is where things will end with the NFL, now-former Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and his 400-plus appearances in the Jeffrey Epstein files. Commissioner Roger Goodell claimed the league looked into Tisch’s ties to late pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, “but we have not found anything that’s a violation at this stage.”

Oh, and look at that: Tisch and his siblings are no longer owners after moving their shares into their children’s trusts. Happy trails!

Goodell’s comments in full from his Tuesday press conference at the NFL owners meeting in Phoenix, via The Athletic:

As we said, we were going to follow the facts. We have been doing that. We’ve been very focused on making sure we understand everything that’s out there. We’ve engaged with others to make sure we have that information. As you know, the Tisch family also made some family changes. Steve and Jon (Tisch) and Laurie (Tisch) actually did some transactions as part of their estate planning. They’re no longer owners. But we have not found anything that’s a violation at this stage.

Shameless, but not surprising.

The NFL (and the Giants) made it pretty clear from the start that Tisch would not face any consequences. The Hollywood film producer knowingly associated with a convicted sex offender and child sex trafficker, using him to set him up with much younger women. He discussed these women with Epstein using profane and suggestive language and repeatedly asked if some of the women were prostitutes. But his pathetic statement when the news originally broke was allowed to stand while the Mara family stayed silent and Goodell, Giants coach John Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen offered word salad legalese and a good swath of the local press corps looked the other way and/or carried Tisch’s water. And now he’s just a fan with a big bank account.

That said — a few questions still remain:

1) Will the Tisches keep their team board seats? Our guess is no. Allowing Tisch to maintain his vice president and board chairman roles would keep the story alive. And Goodell made it pretty clear he considered the story dead.

2) What can be expected from the next generation of Tisches? Forty-five percent of a flagship franchise is now controlled by a bunch of people no one has ever heard from. Will Carolyn Tisch Blodgett — the lead owner of Gotham FC — become the new family face?

3) What’s up with the Maras? Co-owner John Mara was a surprise attendee at the owners meeting as he battles cancer. Brother Chris Mara was there too. Neither spoke to reporters. But at some point someone from ownership needs to explain what the new state of play will be moving forward.

4) What happens if more comes out about Tisch and Epstein? You’d have to imagine Tisch is an obvious candidate to receive a congressional subpoena if and when more Epstein hearings occur, too. And the general public may not give the NFL and Giants a pass if he is technically no longer part of the club.