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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was grilled about the league potentially investigating and disciplining New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch over his correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein.
Goodell said Monday in his pre-Super Bowl LX news conference with the NFL media that he will let the facts play out before the league takes action regarding Tisch and Epstein.
“Absolutely, we will look at all the facts,” Goodell said. “We’re going to look at all the context of them. We’re going to try to understand it and we’re going to look at how it falls under policy. I think we’re going to take it one step at a time. Let’s get to the facts first.”
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NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during his state of the NFL news conference Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in San Jose, Calif., prior to the Super Bowl 60 football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Goodell was asked to specify whether the league opened an investigation into the correspondence and whether the league was concerned that other NFL owners were potentially connected to Epstein in some way.
“I don’t even know the status of all the releases,” he said. “I know 3 million documents came out last week. So listen, we’re going to continue to follow all the facts that come out and we’re going to decide whether or not we’re going to open an investigation based on those facts.”
The commissioner was then asked if he was concerned about the Epstein scandal reflecting on the league.
“Of course, but that’s why we have a personal conduct policy and that’s why we’re going to investigate the facts,” he said.
EX-NASCAR DRIVER SENT JEFFREY EPSTEIN VALENTINE’S DAY EMAIL, FORWARDED SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MESSAGE, FILES SHOWN
New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch on the sidelines during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. The Giants beat the Cowboys 41-35. (Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports)
The NFL released a statement hours before Goodell spoke to the media, saying “The league is aware of the reports and Steve’s response. Our office will investigate the matter to understand the facts.”
The emails were released last week as part of the Justice Department’s dump of more than 3 million documents related to the investigation into the human trafficker and child molester.
Some of the emails exchanged between Epstein and Tisch appeared to show the two women arguing.
An April 2023 thread showed Tisch asking Epstein if an unnamed woman was “pro or civilian.” Epstein said his team reached out to the woman. He later added that she wanted to go to a play with Tisch but was “frightened by the age difference.”
Another exchange, from June 2013, showed Tisch and Epstein arranging a potential meeting in New York.
Tisch’s family owns about 45% of the Giants. He assumed control of the team in 2005 after his father had purchased a majority stake in the team in 1991.
Epstein was found dead in a federal prison cell in Manhattan on August 10, 2019. It was later ruled a suicide. He faces up to 45 years in prison for crimes related to sex trafficking with minors.
Tisch released a statement through the Giants on Friday when the emails came to light.
New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch warms up before the National Football League game between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants on October 28, 2018 at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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“We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about grown women, and in addition we discussed movies, philanthropy and investments. I did not accept him on any of his invitations and never went to his island. As we all know now, he was a horrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with,” Tisch said.
