49ers Owner Jed York Suspended 6 Games, Fined $500K After Ohio Prostitution Sting
SANTA CLARA, CA. (THECOUNT) — Jed York, principal owner of the San Francisco 49ers, has been suspended six games and fined $500,000 by the NFL for violating the league’s Personal Conduct Policy following his August arrest in Ohio during a prostitution sting.
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The NFL announced the discipline Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. York has already missed the 49ers’ first three games of the season, which will count toward the six-game suspension. He is eligible to return to the team following San Francisco’s Monday night game against the Washington Commanders on Oct. 19, with the suspension ending Oct. 20.
York said he accepts the NFL’s decision in full and apologized to his family, the 49ers organization, players, coaches, employees, fans and partners.
“This was an inexcusable mistake and I take full responsibility,” York said in a statement released by the team.
York was arrested Aug. 23 in East Palestine, Ohio, after responding to an undercover advertisement posted on a known prostitution website. According to Columbiana County court records, York used a pseudonym and arranged to meet a woman he believed was offering sexual activity in exchange for $140.00.
The Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, with assistance from East Palestine police, conducted the operation. York arrived at the Wheat Hill Mobile Home Community in a rental car and was arrested at the meeting location.
York was initially charged with misdemeanor engaging in prostitution and possessing criminal tools. Prosecutors later amended the prostitution charge to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. York pleaded no contest Aug. 24 to disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools.
He was sentenced to one day in jail on the two offenses, to be served concurrently, with credit for time already served. He was also fined $1,150. Court records show $160 seized during the arrest was forfeited to the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, and York completed an online course as part of the resolution.
The NFL’s disciplinary action is separate from the Ohio criminal case. The league conducted its own review under its Personal Conduct Policy before issuing the six-game suspension and $500,000 fine.
York has been involved in running the 49ers since taking over day-to-day control of the franchise from his parents in 2008. He became the team’s principal owner in 2024. He served as the organization’s CEO until February 2026.
The 49ers have not had York at their games or league meetings during the opening portion of the season. The NFL’s ruling credits those three missed games toward the suspension, leaving three additional games before York is eligible to return.
York’s NFL discipline does not remove him as principal owner of the 49ers. The franchise continues to operate from Santa Clara, where Levi’s Stadium serves as the team’s home venue.
Santa Clara is located in Santa Clara County in California’s South Bay and is part of the San Francisco Bay Area metropolitan region. The conduct resulting in York’s NFL suspension occurred in East Palestine, a community in Columbiana County in northeastern Ohio, near Youngstown.
Google Maps: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
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