NFL suspends 49ers owner Jed York six games and fines him $500,000

The NFL suspended San Francisco 49ers principal owner Jed York for six regular-season games and fined him $500,000 on Friday, October 2, after concluding that he violated the league’s personal conduct policy. York said he accepted the decision in a statement released by the team.

Three games of the suspension have already been served. York stayed away from San Francisco’s first three regular-season games while the league investigated, and those absences count toward the six-game penalty. The return date is Tuesday, October 20, after the 49ers’ Week 6 Monday night game against Washington.

NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo shared the league’s discipline announcement Friday.

The NFL decision follows York’s August 23 arrest in East Palestine, Ohio. He was initially charged with engaging in prostitution before prosecutors amended that charge to disorderly conduct. York pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools. NFL.com reported that he was fined $1,150 and sentenced to one day in jail, with credit for time already served.

Those court penalties and Friday’s league punishment came through separate proceedings. The league’s announcement sets a six-game suspension under its conduct policy and an additional $500,000 fine. The previous three missed games are part of that suspension, leaving three more before he can return.

In his statement, York apologized to his family, the team’s players and employees, fans and partners. He described his conduct as an inexcusable mistake, accepted responsibility and said he would work to earn back trust. The 49ers released the statement after the league announced its decision, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

York became the franchise’s principal owner in 2024 after overseeing its day-to-day operations since 2008.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said after Friday’s practice that the team had already been operating with York absent for three weeks and would continue that way for three more. ABC7 News Bay Area included his response in its October 2 report.