Here we are again with a story about the unseemly side of the NFL. Just in time for the start of a new season, when many Americans will opt to sit inside on beautiful fall Sunday afternoons to watch television.
San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York pleaded no contest to a pair of misdemeanor charges Monday after being arrested in Ohio on suspicion of engaging in prostitution.
According to Columbiana County (Ohio) court records obtained by ESPN, York allegedly responded to an undercover ad on a known prostitution website and “arranged to have sexual activity with the female in exchange for $140.”
York was arrested upon arriving at the meeting location with the cellphone used to arrange the meeting, according to the records.
An arrest report filed by the East Palestine Police Department notes York was arrested Sunday at 9:35 a.m. at the Wheat Hill Mobile Home Community. East Palestine police assisted the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force in York’s arrest, according to the report.
When I heard this story on the radio, I wondered whether wealth actually decreases oxygen flow to the brain. I have no working knowledge of the price of such hookups, but $140! I had to ask myself: do those prices come with free STDs?
York, who I suspect has been chastised among fans for overpaying for this or that 49er’s player, was counting dimes when trying to score in Ohio. In the end, all can concur he reached a new milestone in poor judgment. Now, you might assume that a man with a net worth of those who own an NFL team would have mastered the art of discretion. But no. His name and deed have made national headlines today.
Apart from the adverse reaction I have to prostitution, it is the tawdry nature of the situation that rankles. I have no sports-related bias about the owner of the 49ers being at the center of the story. And, yes, grown adults make grown‑adult mistakes. For me, it’s the sheer caddish amateurism of it all. If you’re going to pay for such services, do two things. First, look in the mirror and ask why. Second, if you’re going to act rashly, at least be competent. If you’re going to embarrass your franchise, at least do it with panache. But $140 in Ohio!
I can predict that the NFL, at some point, will issue a statement about “conduct unbecoming,” which is adorable considering the NFL’s long and storied tradition of conduct unbecoming stories. Can we be far from York putting out a press release that he is now experiencing “personal growth’ in recognizing the behavior was wrong?
Meanwhile, fans will shrug. I get it. And that is shoddy behavior, too.
In the end, the lesson is one that we learned from our parents and grandparents. Money can buy many things—stadiums, players, naming rights. But it cannot buy dignity or common sense. Jed York has made that abundantly clear to the entire nation.
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