NFL suspends 49ers owner Jed York for six games

The NFL has suspended San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York for six regular-season games and fined him $500,000 for violating its personal conduct policy following his arrest in an Ohio prostitution sting.

The league announced the penalty Friday. York has stayed away from the 49ers’ first three games this season and from NFL meetings while the league investigated, and those games count toward his suspension. He is eligible to return Tuesday, Oct. 20, after the 49ers’ game against Washington the previous night.

York said he accepted the league’s punishment and apologized 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,” he said. “This was an inexcusable mistake and I take full responsibility.”

York said his actions did not reflect his values or the example he wanted to set for his sons. “Leading the 49ers is a privilege, and one I don’t take lightly,” he said. “Your trust will have to be earned back over time, and I look forward to that work ahead.”

York, 46, was arrested Aug. 23 at a mobile home park in East Palestine, Ohio, about 20 miles south of Youngstown, where he was raised. Police were conducting a prostitution sting there. According to The Guardian, police said York had attempted to pay $160 for sex with a woman he believed was a prostitute.

He was initially charged with engaging in prostitution. Prosecutors later amended that charge to disorderly conduct, and York pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools. The Guardian reported that the latter charge concerned his use of a phone to respond to an undercover online prostitution advertisement.

York spent a night in jail and was released after posting a $5,000 bond. He was sentenced to one day in jail on each count, with the terms to run concurrently, and received credit for time served. He was also fined $1,150. The $160 seized by police went to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force under the plea agreement, and York completed an online course.

York has run the 49ers since 2008, when he took over day-to-day control from his parents, and became principal owner in 2024, according to NBC News. During his tenure, the team became a Super Bowl contender and built Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The Guardian reported that York also holds stakes in England’s Leeds United and Scotland’s Rangers through 49ers Enterprises.