49ers owner Jed York suspended by NFL and fined $500,000 after prostitution sting arrest

@scope (#mos-adc56b1f-b461-4966-b862-2b63845b9634) { @font-face {
font-family: “Independent Serif”;
src: url(“https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Serif-Medium.woff2”) format(“woff2”);
font-weight: 500;
font-style: normal;
font-display: swap;
}
@font-face {
font-family: “Independent Serif”;
src: url(“https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Serif-Regular.woff2”) format(“woff2”);
font-weight: 400;
font-style: normal;
font-display: swap;
}
@font-face {
font-family: “Independent Sans”;
src: url(“https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Sans-Regular.woff2”) format(“woff2”);
font-weight: 400;
font-style: normal;
font-display: swap;
}
@font-face {
font-family: “Independent Sans”;
src: url(“https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Sans-Medium.woff2”) format(“woff2”);
font-weight: 500;
font-style: normal;
font-display: swap;
}

.bookmark-experience {
box-sizing: border-box;
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
position: fixed;
top: 0;
left: 0;
right: 0;
bottom: 0;
inset: 0;
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.55);
z-index: 10000;
padding: 12px;
margin: 0;
}

.bookmark-experience,
.bookmark-experience * {
box-sizing: border-box;
}

.bookmark-experience .modal {
position: relative;
width: 100%;
max-width: 400px;
margin: 0;
padding: 32px 24px 28px;
text-align: center;
color: #ffffff;
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #3b030f 0%, #3b030f 27%, #76071f 52%, #3b030f 100%);
box-shadow: 2px -2px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn {
position: absolute;
top: 12px;
right: 12px;
width: 16px;
height: 16px;
cursor: pointer;
background: none;
border: none;
padding: 0;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::before,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::after {
display: block;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon {
position: relative;
width: 16px;
height: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::before,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::after {
content: “”;
position: absolute;
top: 50%;
left: 0;
width: 16px;
height: 1.5px;
background: #ffffff;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::before { transform: translateY(-50%) rotate(45deg); }
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::after { transform: translateY(-50%) rotate(-45deg); }

.bookmark-experience .logo-row {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
margin: 0 0 24px;
}

.bookmark-experience .logo-premium-image {
display: block;
height: 24px;
width: 272px;
max-width: 86%;
object-fit: contain;
}

.bookmark-experience .headline {
font-family: “Independent Serif”, Georgia, serif;
font-weight: 500;
font-size: 28px;
line-height: 32px;
letter-spacing: -0.5px;
color: #ffffff;
margin: 0 0 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .body-text {
font-family: “Independent Serif”, Georgia, serif;
font-weight: 400;
font-size: 16px;
line-height: 22px;
letter-spacing: -0.3px;
color: #ffffff;
margin: 0 0 24px;
}

.bookmark-experience .subscribe-link {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
width: 100%;
height: 42px;
padding: 12px 16px;
background: #ffffff;
color: #76071f;
border-radius: 4px;
font-family: “Independent Sans”, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Roboto, sans-serif;
font-size: 14px;
font-weight: 500;
line-height: 16px;
letter-spacing: -0.5px;
text-transform: uppercase;
text-decoration: none;
}

.bookmark-experience .subscribe-link:hover,
.bookmark-experience .subscribe-link:focus {
background: #f0e6e8;
color: #76071f;
}

.bookmark-experience .login-copy {
margin: 12px 0 0;
font-family: “Independent Sans”, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Roboto, sans-serif;
font-size: 14px;
line-height: 18px;
letter-spacing: -0.5px;
color: #ffffff;
}

.bookmark-experience .login-link {
color: #ffffff;
text-decoration: underline;
cursor: pointer;
}

@media screen and (min-width: 600px) {
.bookmark-experience {
padding: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .modal {
max-width: 520px;
padding: 40px 48px 32px;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::before,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::after {
width: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn {
top: 16px;
right: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .logo-premium-image {
height: 28px;
width: 320px;
}

.bookmark-experience .headline {
font-size: 32px;
line-height: 36px;
letter-spacing: -0.75px;
margin-bottom: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .body-text {
font-size: 16px;
line-height: 22px;
margin-bottom: 28px;
}
}
}

html:not(.mos-bookmark-open) .bookmark-experience { display: none !important; }

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York received a six-game suspension from the NFL on Friday following his arrest in an Ohio prostitution sting.

The league said York was also fined $500,000 for breaching its personal conduct policy. Having missed all games and league meetings this season, York received credit for three games served. He is eligible to return on Oct. 20, immediately following the team’s game against Washington the prior evening. The NFL’s fall meetings begin that day in New York.

York acknowledged the punishment in a statement issued by the team and offered an apology for his conduct.

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York seen in a police booking photo after his arrest on August 23, 2026 in Libson, Ohio (Getty)

“To my family, to the players, coaches, and employees of the San Francisco 49ers, to our fans and partners, I am deeply sorry,” he wrote.

“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.”

Task force officers from the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force arrested York at a mobile home park after police reported he attempted to pay $160 for sex with a woman he believed to be a prostitute.

York posted a $5,000 bond following his booking into jail. Prosecutors reduced an initial charge of engaging in prostitution to disorderly conduct. He pleaded no contest to that charge and to possessing criminal tools for using his phone to respond to an undercover online advertisement.

Bodycam footage from Jed York’s arrest (East Palestine Police Department)

He received a concurrent one-day jail sentence for both offenses, credited with one day served upon his plea. He was also fined $1,150. Police turned over the seized $160 to the human trafficking task force under the plea agreement, and York completed an online instructional course.

Owners have previously faced discipline under the personal conduct policy. The late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay served a six-game suspension and paid a $500,000 fine after pleading guilty to driving while impaired in 2014.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was investigated but escaped league discipline after a 2019 Florida arrest for allegedly paying for sex at a massage parlor. Charges were dropped when a court ruled police violated the rights of Kraft and other customers by secretly installing cameras inside massage rooms.

York spent most of the summer in Ohio near his hometown of Youngstown, remaining away from the team prior to his arrest. Court records show he filed for divorce from his wife, Danielle, in May.

York assumed day-to-day control of the 49ers from his parents in 2008, becoming principal owner in 2024. After early struggles, the team became a steady contender after hiring coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch in 2017.

San Francisco has reached three Super Bowls under York, losing in the 2012 season under coach Jim Harbaugh and the 2019 and 2023 campaigns under Shanahan and Lynch.

York also directed the construction of Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. The team moved from San Francisco in 2014, and the venue has hosted two Super Bowls, a World Cup match, and a College Football Playoff championship.

Search this website