With 49ers owner Jed York facing a potential suspension as a result of his recent no-contest plea on charges arising from a recent prostitution arrest in Ohio, the powers-that-be are making plans now in the event York isn’t available later.
“Let’s have conversations beforehand so that we know exactly where his wishes are,” G.M. John Lynch recently told Tim Kawakami of The TK Show, via 49ersWebZone.com. “And you can’t do that for everything because issues come up, like [the] trade deadline. You don’t know until you know, and there’s so many factors that go into that. But we’ll be prepared for everything because we’ve put in the work, we’ve put in the communication beforehand.”
Even without a suspension, the dynamic has changed. York moved from California to Youngstown. He’s not around like he used to be.
“If he’s not going to be here, Jed, we’ve got to talk on a regular basis,” Lynch said. “He knows that, we know that, we’ve done that. Now, to the regularity that we normally do, because conversations kind of come up organically, no, but it’s probably led to a lot more scheduled meetings where, in the past, it was more organic.
“Yesterday morning, [coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and I were on a Zoom with Jed and had a great discussion about a variety of things. And so that communication is critical, I think, to keep everybody on the same page. And Jed, he’s been a great sounding board over the years. He trusts us.”
It’s not ideal, and it illustrates the value of having ownership who is in the building every day — but who doesn’t excessively meddle in the football operation. It appears that the 49ers had found a sweet spot previously, when York lived and worked in the area. Now, it’s different. He’s not there on a regular basis.
And, if/when he’s suspended, Lynch and Shanahan won’t have access to York at all (absent burner phones).
Whether that makes this better or worse won’t be known until it happens. For now, the only certainty is that it is, and will be, different.
49ers Clips
The L.A. Clippers were safe. Until they weren’t.
In one of the most stunning examples of ESPN-on-ESPN crime on record, Shams Charania of ESPN reports that the NBA has levied unprecedented punishment on the L.A. Clippers for salary-cap circumvention in connection with Kawhi Leonard: Five first-round picks and a $30 million fine to owner Steve Ballmer. The NBA also has suspended Ballmer and others.
The report comes only a few weeks after ESPN reported that the NBA has no evidence of salary-cap circumvention by the Clippers as to Leonard.
The only way to harmonize the two reports is this — the NBA must have found a shitload (technical term) of evidence since August 17.
It’s the harshest cap penalty ever levied, in any sport. The NFL hasn’t issued one in years (except for a “clerical payroll error” by the 49ers in 2024).
Most recently, the NFL fined the Broncos a total of $1.918 million and stripped them of two-third round draft picks for a series of salary-cap violations in the 1990s. Before that, the NFL penalized the 49ers for a cap violation in 2000, taking a fifth-round pick in 2001 and a third-round pick in 2002; the league also fined former 49ers (then Browns) president Carmen Policy $400,000, and it fined 49ers vice-president Dwight Clark $200,000. That same year, the Steelers were fined $150,000 for a self-reported salary-cap violation. (Thanks to Team PFT for doing the research on this.)
All of those examples pale in comparison to what the NBA has done to the Clippers. And it all traces to the reporting of Pablo Torre, whose efforts secured a Pulitzer Prize for Pablo Torre Finds Out. (After ESPN’s August 17 report, some were suggesting it should be rescinded.)
That’s the true value of modern sports journalism. At a time when most are chasing transactional nuggets that will inevitably be announced (sometimes only minutes after the exclusive report), the best stuff to chase is the stuff they don’t want anyone to know about.
But for Pablo, the Clippers’ infraction never would have been discovered.
49ers defensive end Nick Bosa returned to practice today, and afterward he said he thinks he’ll be good to go for next week’s regular-season opener against the Rams in Australia.
Bosa said he felt great on the practice field and feels confident that he should be out there for Week One.
“Today was a great day,” Bosa said.
Bosa, who suffered a torn ACL last season and was dealing with pain in his injured knee over the summer, said recovery has been hard but he felt good on the practice field.
“It was a long road. There was some stuff I dealt with, with the patellar tendon, and I kind of ramped it up a little too fast with the football a month ago, and they told me to back off, so I’ve just been trying to get as strong and confident as I can,” Bosa said.
When healthy, Bosa has been one of the best defensive ends in the NFL. A healthy Bosa could give the 49ers’ defense a huge boost against the Rams next Thursday night.
A report on Wednesday morning brought good news about 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa’s outlook for playing in Week 1 and the afternoon brought more good news.
Video from the team’s final practice before they head to Australia to continue preparing for their September 10 game against the Rams shows Bosa on the field with the team. The report earlier in the day said that Bosa will travel with the team to Melbourne.
Bosa is returning from last season’s torn ACL and missed most of training camp after developing tendinitis during his rehab. General Manager John Lynch said on Tuesday that the time off “got everything to where it was feeling better” and the return to practice is another sign that Bosa is on the right track.
Tight end George Kittle is also expected to travel with the 49ers and having both in the lineup would be a welcome development after months of uncertainty about their status.
Last week, the non-stop NFL news cycle was briefly dominated by the arrest, and prompt no-contest plea, of 49ers owner Jed York on misdemeanor charges arising from a prostitution appointment that turned out to be a sting operation.
As the NFL ponders potential punishment for York, the Daily Mail dispatched a reporter to Ohio in an effort to advance the story.
The assignment included a visit to the Youngstown headquarters of the DeBartolo Corporation. York’s father, Dr. John York, was there. The reporter approached the 49ers co-chairman and asked him for a comment.
“That’s been resolved,” Dr. York said.
The legal issue has been resolved, but the internal issue has not. And because the legal issue has indeed been resolved, there’s no reason to delay addressing the potential application of the Personal Conduct Policy — especially with the 49ers playing the Rams in Australia only eight days from now.
Given the recent report from Sports Business Journal that Jed York may be serving a self-imposed suspension, there’s a good chance he won’t be making the trip to Melbourne. That would ensure his presence won’t trigger media scrutiny and, in turn, one or more new stories about a topic the league would surely rather avoid.
It also would allow the Commissioner to kick the can on the issuance of punishment until after the first week of the season has been played, when the non-stop stream of bright, shiny objects will help minimize the available bandwidth for scrutinizing the final decision.
If Roger Goodell were to issue a suspension before next Thursday, it would invite the question of whether Jed York was being held to the same standard that applies to players. And if the suspension is perceived by fans and/or media to be too light, plenty of time would be devoted in the days before the game to talking about that instead of the NFL’s first-ever contest in the domicile of Crocodile Dundee.
It makes plenty of sense to wait a bit, announcing the decision at a time when there won’t be enough time to do a full and complete evaluation and discussion as to whether the privilege of ownership includes softer sanctions than the employees would have received.
49ers tight end George Kittle’s chances of playing in Week 1 are going up.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Kittle will travel to Australia with the team ahead of their matchup with the Rams in Melbourne. Kittle has practiced the last two days and, per the report, is trending in the right direction to play.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said earlier this week that he’d prefer not to take Kittle to Australia if it looked like he would not be ready to play on the Achilles he tore in January. Making the trip doesn’t guarantee he’ll be in the lineup, but it is certainly a good sign.
Rapoport reports that defensive end Nick Bosa will also travel with the team on Wednesday. Bosa did not practice for much of training camp as he recovers from a torn ACL, but General Manager John Lynch said on Tuesday that he’ll be ramping up his work with an eye toward playing in the opener.
The 49ers have maintained that edge rusher Nick Bosa is nearing a return to practice with Week 1 quickly approaching.
General Manager John Lynch has now provided a clearer timeline for that to happen.
In an interview with KNBR on Tuesday, Lynch said Bosa would like to practice on Wednesday.
“Nick worked to the side yesterday, and I think that’s the plan today,” Lynch said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “Wednesday, he wants to get out on the field. We’ve been working in conjunction with Nick on the best plan. He’s been doing great work to the side. Nick has always had a great sense—and I’ve always believed this—really good players are very in tune with their body. Nick is certainly that. He’s come back from ACLs before.
“It’s disappointing because he came back in camp and was all ready, and then when he tried to get out there on the field, it got stirred up a little, and he got some tendinitis that often happens in an ACL recovery. So that was unfortunate. We pulled back. We got everything to where it was feeling better. And then Nick has kind of got behind this plan of really building him up, and then putting him back on the field.”
Bosa, who tore his ACL last September, did not practice for most of training camp.
The 49ers have been and will continue to be cautious with Bosa and his recovery, Lynch said, even if it is not ideal — particularly as the club is about to travel to Australia to get acclimated before playing the Rams next week.
“But I will tell you, so long as he responds well, he’s been tracking very well,” Lynch said. “Now, always ramping it up to actual football is a difference, and so that’s the next step, and we’re very hopeful.”
When the sale of the Seahawks closes, Vinod Khosla will become the controlling owner. He’ll simultaneously own (at least for a while) a piece of the 49ers.
As noted by Front Office Sports, Khosla and his family still own 3.1 percent of the 49ers. A sale of that minority stake is required, but it’s not mandated before Khosla acquires ownership of the Seahawks.
It can take some time to find a buyer, and the 49ers (per FOS) have final say over the person who acquires it. For now, Khosla will hold at least 30 percent of the Seahawks — and more than three percent of one of their biggest rivals.
While also holding no portion of the Steelers, even though he was a fan, still is a fan, and still watches all of their games.
Aaron Donald officially came out of retirement and practiced with the Rams on Sunday, but the three-time defensive player of the year was not on the field with the team on Monday.
Rams head coach Sean McVay said that Donald’s absence had nothing to do with anything that happened during his first practice with the team. McVay said it was “part of the plan all along” for the defensive tackle and that the team will see where that plan takes them as they move toward their Week 1 game against the 49ers in Melbourne.
“I wouldn’t rule anything out yet,” McVay said, via the team’s website. “Sometimes when you put unnecessary parameters or guidelines on something, you can skew things. But what I think what’s really good for us is if he’s able to go, great, if not, that’s kind of how we’ve been operating as is, and guys have done an excellent job of being able to do some really cool stuff in the meantime. So, if he’s not ready, and that’s not what’s best for him and for the team, (we) absolutely wouldn’t have him play in Australia.”
Donald’s participation as well as that of defensive end Myles Garrett will continue to be closely monitored as the football world waits to find out when we’ll see the duo on the field at the same time.
Every team in the league is in the process of calling players to ask them to join the practice squad, but the Rams and 49ers have another question: “Do you have a passport?”
Because the Rams and 49ers will open the season in Australia, those teams need to know that any new additions to the team will be able to get into a foreign country. Players who have been with the teams all offseason have been preparing for international travel, but 49ers General Manager John Lynch says making sure new additions to the team can get into Australia is a logistical challenge.
“We’re bringing practice squads from the outside. I’ve never asked a potential practice squad, ‘Do you have a passport?’ Those are questions we have to ask now,” Lynch said. “One guy who’s coming into town, his parents are next daying it, because it was at the house. So there’s a lot of little logistics like that that are complicated by this, but we’re embracing it, we’re having a plan for everything, and we’re getting it done.”
Lynch said the 49ers’ staff behind the scenes has had to work overtime to get the team ready for the longest road trip in NFL history.
“There’s a lot, and I think it’s an opportune time to give a shout out to our staff,” Lynch said. “Everything from getting visas, which is much more complicated than I knew, they’ve been outstanding. They’ve worked in conjunction with the league but most of the work has been done on our part and hats off to those guys for pulling off a monumental task, and it’s not done yet. There’s a lot.”
