The 49ers owner was arrested Sunday morning in East Palestine, Ohio, initially on suspicion of engaging in prostitution. The charge was later amended, and York pleaded no contest to misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools. He was sentenced to two days in jail, with credit for one day served, and ordered to pay $1,150 in fines.
There was little interest for Shanahan in turning the matter into a football story.
“I got to talk to Jed the last two days and today,” Shanahan said on Tuesday. “Obviously, it’s a very tough situation. But I know it’s extremely fresh. I think it’s a very, very personal situation.”
The NFL said the case will be reviewed under its personal conduct policy. The 49ers called it a resolved legal matter and said they would have no further comment. Shanahan offered a similar message, saying that York’s arrest has not changed the way the 49ers are operating.
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“The view for the organization going forward is the same as usual. There won’t be any difference in that,” he said.
The distinction matters to Shanahan because York has largely stayed out of the football side of the organization since Shanahan and general manager John Lynch were hired in 2017.
Shanahan said that has not changed.
York has not attended training camp this summer, spending time in Ohio, where he is originally from. His absence from the team’s facility, Shanahan said, is not related to the arrest.
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“It’s been like that this summer anyway with him being out in Ohio and things like that,” Shanahan said. “So there’d be no difference right now.”
Shanahan has long credited York with giving the football staff room to make football decisions. York still wants to be informed about the team, Shanahan said, but has generally allowed the people running football operations to do their jobs.
“It’s the same as always. Jed has been as good as it gets since I’ve been here on letting the football people make football decisions. Jed always wants to be informed and a part of things, but Jed has been exactly what he said he would be in letting us make those decisions.”
Inside the locker room, Shanahan said the arrest has barely been a topic. He said it was not discussed in the team’s meetings Tuesday. With the regular season approaching and roster decisions coming quickly, there are more immediate concerns for players and coaches.
“I don’t need much of a message to the guys,” Shanahan said. “I think that’s kind of irrelevant to our guys.”
Fred Warner, the 49ers’ All-Pro linebacker and one of the team’s captains with an 84.0 PFSN LB Impact Grade in 2024, was asked about the same subject. Warner said that players are aware of the arrest.
“We’re all aware. I think we all have social media, so we see things. But at the same time, I got a lot of love, a lot of respect for Jed and don’t feel the need to comment on the situation. I think the team is kind of the same way. It really wasn’t a conversation being had in the locker room.”
The situation is more complicated for Shanahan, who has developed a close relationship with York and his family over the years.
Shanahan said he has spoken with York over the past several days. He also mentioned Danielle Belluomini York, from whom York is seeking a divorce, and said, “I got a lot of respect for Jed. I got a lot of respect for Danielle. Their family does mean a lot to me. So I’m like, with it being this personal, I’m trying as hard as I can to keep it that way.”
The test for Shanahan is whether anything happening away from the field changes what happens once the team goes to work. So far, he said, it has not. The coaches are preparing the players. The players are competing for roster spots. The staff is working through the final stages of the preseason.
And according to Shanahan, York’s arrest has not entered those football conversations.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
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