New York Giants co-owner and chairman Steve Tisch denied any wrongdoing Friday after the reveal of emails between him and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that appeared to discuss Epstein connecting Tisch with women.
The emails, first reported on by The Athletic, were released as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s latest batch of Epstein documents, as required under a law passed by Congress late last year.More than three million documents were released late on Friday.
There are also emails from women to Epstein reporting back about the encounters they supposedly had with Tisch.
Sent in 2013, the emails paint a troubling picture. Tisch has been involved with the Giants since his father bought a 50% stake in the NFL franchise in 1991.
In May 2013, an email exchange between the two men included Epstein saying, “I can invite the (Russian) … to meet if you like,” with Tisch responding “Is she fun?”
In another exchange, Tisch emailed Epstein and said, “Is my present in NYC?” Epstein responded “Yes,” and Tisch asked, “Can I get my surprise to take me to lunch tomorrow?”
In June 2013, Tisch emailed Epstein asking about a particular person, to which Epstein replied “(Tahitian) speaks mostly french exotic.” Tisch said “Working girl?” Epstein answered, “Never.”
In a statement the Giants sent to Front Office Sports Friday night, Tisch said, “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.”
Epstein died in August 2019 while in federal custody on federal sex trafficking charges. It was determined that he died by suicide.
The release of the emails comes only a few months after the Giants sold a 10% stake to Julia Koch and members of her billionaire family at a valuation of more than $10 billion. The Tisch and Mara families are believed to own 45% each following that deal.
More Sports Figures in the Epstein Emails
Tisch is not the only sports-related figure referenced in the documents, although the emails between him and Epstein stand out for their explicit references to women.
Josh Harris, owner of the 76ers, was also revealed to have a long history of email exchanges with Epstein, although they do not indicate that Harris was involved in any sexual misconduct.
Casey Wasserman, chairman of the organizing committee for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, had emailed with Epstein’s close associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently in federal prison. In addition to emails that appear to be about real estate, there are salacious exchanges in which Maxwell offered to give Wasserman a massage that can “drive a man wild,” and the then-married Wasserman said he wanted to see Maxwell in a “tight leather outfit.”
Panthers owner David Tepper appears in the documents; Epstein said in an email he met Tepper and described him as “very smart and funny.”
Bob Kraft, Paul Allen Both Mentioned
The release of the documents comes one week before Super Bowl LX between the Patriots and Seahawks. Patriots owner Robert Kraft comes up in the documents, including references to when he was charged in 2019 with two counts of solicitation as a day spa in Florida. The exchanges merely mention Kraft; they are not directly between him and Epstein. Kraft pleaded not guilty, and ultimately, those charges were dropped.
Current Seahawks owner Jody Allen is not named, but the team’s former owner, Paul Allen—who died in 2018—is.
The documents including Allen do not feature any references to women; there’s a July 2011 email in which Epstein asks whether Allen should be invited to a dinner and multiple emails in which Epstrein expresses he would like to meet with or speak to Allen. In another exchange, Epstein asks an associate of Allen to tell the late Microsoft co-founder he would “like to hear his ideas on currency.”
The NFL didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
