The NFL suspended San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York for six games and fined him $500,000 on October 2 for violating the league's personal conduct policy, following his summer arrest in an Ohio prostitution sting.
York, 46, was arrested on August 23 in East Palestine, Ohio, by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force after police said he attempted to pay $160 for sex with a woman he believed to be a prostitute at a mobile home park. He was booked into jail and released after posting a $5,000 bond. York was initially charged with engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools — the latter for using his phone to respond to an undercover online prostitution advertisement. Prosecutors later amended the prostitution charge to disorderly conduct, and York pleaded no contest to the two misdemeanors.
York has been away from the 49ers for the team's first three regular-season games, as well as from NFL league meetings, while the league conducted its own investigation. Those three missed games count toward his suspension, meaning he will serve three more and is eligible to return on Tuesday, October 20 — the day after San Francisco faces the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football, and the day the NFL's fall league meetings begin in New York.
"Today, the NFL concluded its review, and I accept its decision in full," York said in a statement released by the team. "To my family, to the players, coaches, and employees of the San Francisco 49ers, to our fans and partners, I am deeply sorry. 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."
A six-game ban and a $500,000 fine rank among the heavier owner-level penalties the NFL has issued in recent years. York, a Youngstown, Ohio, native, has been the 49ers' CEO since 2008 and became principal owner in 2024; he remains the team's majority owner, with day-to-day football decisions staying with the front office and coaching staff during his absence. The 49ers are off to a 3-0 start this season — a strong opening now shadowed by the sight of their owner serving a suspension for conduct the league deemed inexcusable.