With Commissioner Roger Goodell due to conduct his annual Super Bowl press conference in little more than an hour, the NFL has broken a weekend of silence regarding the most clear connection between an owner and Jeffrey Epstein.
On Friday, the latest release of Epstein files included emails apparently exchanged by Epstein and Giants co-owner Steve Tisch. The messages paint a picture of Tisch asking Epstein to arrange dates. On Friday night, Tisch issued a statement regarding the issue.
Said the NFL in a statement released on Monday: “The league is aware of the reports and Steve’s response. Our office will look into the matter to understand the facts.”
As one source put it earlier on Monday, the NFL would need facts in order to support any type of action against Tisch. The emails, standing alone, don’t provide that.
An investigation could. But who would the NFL interview? There’s no obvious victim or other witness. (Indeed, there’s no allegation of wrongdoing against Tisch.)
The most obvious starting point would be to interview Tisch. To show him each of the relevant emails and ask him questions about what the messages mean and what happened next.
The problem is that, beyond Tisch, the NFL may be unable to harvest anything. The league has no subpoena power, even if Tisch were to supply the names of the individuals to whom the emails refer.
So while the league will, and should, investigate the situation, chances are it will go nowhere. Especially if the NFL’s ultimate motivation is to check the box and move on.
Either way, Goodell will surely be asked about the situation. We’ll be writing about it when he does.
