Months after Congress mandated it, the potentially final and biggest batch of Jeffrey Epstein files was released by the Department of Justice on Friday. Among many prominent figures mentioned, two were NFL team owners. Among the two, though, the New York Giants co-owner, Steve Tisch, found himself under fire, finally releasing a statement to address his involvement.

“We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments. I did not take him up on any of his invitations and never went to his island. As we all know now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with,” the statement by Giants said, as per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.

Tisch became a fifty-percent owner of the team in 2005 after his late father, Bob, bought it for $75 million in 1991. While the NFL has not released any statement regarding Tisch or his connection to Epstein. However, we do know what the league has already mandated about such incidents:

According to the league’s Personal Conduct Policy, any NFL personnel, be it players, coaches, or others associated with the game, are obligated to uphold “high character.” The Policy states that they have to refrain from “conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the NFL.”

The latest released Epstein files confirm that the emails exchanged between the two date back to 2013 through the mail ID ‘gumptower’, probably citing one of the movies he produced, Forrest Gump. The reports also revealed Epstein asked Tisch to connect over the phone to avoid a trail of conversations on the email. The documents do not confirm or deny whether the women Tisch met through Epstein were underage. However, one was specified to be a Biology major.

Apart from the other interactions that can put Tisch into trouble, the two have also met during various games. For instance, in September 2013, Tisch offered Epstein two tickets to his suite for an upcoming Sunday game for the Giants. Epstein, at the same time, invited Tisch to visit him on his private island in the Caribbean.

Tisch has denied ever going to his island, which is known as the Epstein Islands. It is not clear from the emails if Tisch ever took Epstein up on those offers.

The court has not ordered anything against Tisch yet. However, given the connection between the two in multiple reports, if co-owner John Mara and others who lead the franchise wish, they could force Tisch to give up his ownership stakes in the Giants.

Julia Koch, a ten percent minority owner, has come up as a possible buyer if Tisch is removed. Koch was approved by NFL owners last October after those shares were put up for sale last year. If she wishes, increasing her stakes in the team could be easier.

Interestingly, Eli Manning was the first name that came up to buy those very stakes, but he stepped back due to the amount. He could now approach this opportunity. Others like the Mets’ owner Steve Cohen, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, and former Giants player Michael Strahan are also some names in the running. However, it all depends if and when Tisch is removed from the table.

The 76-year-old Tisch is also the chairman and vice president of the New York Giants. Alternatively, he has produced dozens of Hollywood films, including “Forrest Gump,” “The Pursuit of Happyness,” and “Risky Business.” He is a producer and partner with California-based Escape Artists Entertainment.

While the NFL is yet to release a statement regarding this issue, it wouldn’t be the first time that the league has taken action against team owners.

Will the NFL punish Steve Tisch? Here’s what history tells us

While every situation is different and the NFL has no record of facing something like Tisch’s case, it won’t be a new situation for them either. Over the years, the league has punished owners for various infractions.

The one instance that we can draw a parallel here would be of the Washington Commanders’ former owner, Daniel Snyder. The billionaire was at the helm of the team from 1999 to 2023. However, in those two decades, he also brought a plethora of scandals, underachievements, and headaches for the DMV team. After he sold the team in July 2023 to Josh Harris, the NFL fined him $60 million for s—– harassment and withholding revenue from the league.

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Another case would be of the former Carolina Panthers owner, Jerry Richardson. The team initiated an investigation against him for racial misconduct and more before the league took over. He had already sold the team to the next owner by then, but was charged $2.75 million in 2018 by the NFL.

Again, the NFL will conduct a separate investigation through attorney Lisa Friel into Tisch’s case to conclude their decision, instead of going by what the Epstein files suggest at the moment, as they do with every personal conduct case. In case the conduct does not result in a criminal conviction, if the league believes Tisch has engaged in any detrimental conduct, he will be subject to discipline.

For now, Roger Goodell will have to look into another name associated with these latest releases.

Washington Commanders owner named in Epstein files

Alongside the New York Giants co-owner, Josh Harris, the majority owner of the NFL’s Washington Commanders, the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, also appeared in the released files. However, as per ESPN, his connection with Epstein was through assistants, as their exchange mainly revolved around business meetings when Harris was at Apollo Global Management.

“Josh Harris never had an independent relationship with Jeffrey Epstein,” a spokesman for Harris said. “Harris sought to prevent Epstein’s attempts to develop a corporate relationship with Apollo. As these emails indicate, Harris sought to avoid meeting with Epstein, canceling meetings and having others return his calls.”

Harris hasn’t released any statement as of now. However, he was also not cornered in the latest releases, either as Tisch was. With these significant developments, the onus will be on the NFL to take the right steps to handle this issue and arrive at a resolution, keeping in mind the fans and other stakeholders of the sport.