Jed York was arrested for, according to what has been reported as the initial charge, "engaging in prostitution." That charge was reduced to "disorderly conduct" and "possessing criminal tools," to which he pled no contest. These are both misdemeanors. He was fined and spent one night in jail.

We don't know exactly what happened. Both of those charges are vague. In Ohio, "possession of a criminal tool" can be anything that is a common object and the person intends to use in a criminal act.


We don't know what the tool was, but we do know he had to give up his cell phone. That suggests to me that it might be the referenced criminal tool. It is hard even to imagine (and does not seem even implied in the charge) that it was a crowbar or some such thing. And since the initial charge revolved around engaging in prostitution, it would make sense that a cell phone could be part of that.

The media, of course, is all over this story. The 49ers released a statement that said (in its entirety), "As this is a legal matter, which has been resolved, we will not be providing any further comment at this time."

This is true. Fines have been paid, and time has been served. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio believes the 49ers need to do more.

My question is twofold: what does the public have a right to know, and what does the public need to know?

Outside of (relatively) salacious interest, the public does not need to know. Ultimately, we have no "need."


As to the right to know, what does that term mean? Jed York is not a public official. No one elected him to office. He does not run a company whose products might affect consumers' daily lives. As President of the 49ers, he is not someone who affects the outcome of the games on Sundays. (How much he is willing to pay players will not be affected in the least by this case.)

Whatever the circumstances, his actions clearly did not physically harm anyone. As in, this was not assault. This was not violent by any measure.

In other words, as much as I might be interested in knowing what happened, he is under no obligation to tell me.

He will need to tell the NFL because his behavior can affect their brand. At some point, they will determine a punishment. But there is no need to make the facts public.

Unlike the Robert Kraft case, which involved multiple incidents and was dismissed because a judge ruled the film evidence could not be used in court, prosecutors did not believe York did anything that required further examination.


The main punishment York has suffered—and will suffer for a long time—is embarrassment. I do not know him personally, but he has appeared to me to be a relatively decent person.

Embarrassment—and I believe humiliation is the more accurate term here—is something that is not to be taken lightly. As anyone who has a shred of character knows, having to look people you respect in the eye and know they have less respect for you is a painful thing to have to do.

And to have to do it daily. And to have to do it publicly.

This article is not in any way about excusing what Jed York did. It is not an article about condoning or judging. It is not about whether York should be absolved of his sins.

It is about what we, as the public, have a right to.


We are entitled to judge him—both his morals and intelligence. We are entitled to express our lack of respect or sympathy by how we support his business. We can look down on him and feel superior to him.

But we don't have a right to the details. They are not part of our lives. But they will be a part of his (and his family's) for the rest of his life.

Written By:

Jack Stewart


Jack Stewart was educated at Alabama and Emory and was a Brittain Fellow at Georgia Tech. His poetry has been published widely in the US and several other countries. His book No Reason was published in the Poeima Poetry Series in 2020.
All articles by Jack Stewart


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