When Steve Tisch gave up his ownership stake in the New York Giants, he found a way to still keep his chairman title. On Tuesday, he attended an NFL meeting in New York, despite no longer owning a share of the team. His continued role has drawn attention to the league’s response to his emails with Jeffrey Epstein and raised questions about what his exit from ownership has actually changed.
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According to reports, Tisch was present at Tuesday’s quarterly ownership meetings in New York.
“Steve Tisch is on hand at the hotel in New York at which NFL owners are meeting today. He no longer holds any ownership stake in the Giants after he and his siblings transferred their shares into trusts for their children. He is listed as the team’s executive VP and chairman of the board.”
The development comes months after emails between Tisch and Jeffrey Epstein became public. Tisch’s name appeared more than 400 times in the released files. The emails brought renewed attention to his relationship with Epstein and his position within the NFL.
The Tisch and Mara families have been partners in owning the New York Giants since 1991. The Mara family started the team in 1925, and John Mara now leads the organization as its president and CEO. He was also present at Tuesday’s NFL meeting. Away from football, Tisch has built a career in Hollywood and worked as a producer on films like Forrest Gump and Risky Business.
The U.S. Department of Justice released the emails as part of its files on Epstein, who died in 2019. The messages showed that Epstein connected Tisch with women. Tisch also invited Epstein to watch a Giants game from his private box. Tisch, however, has denied visiting Epstein’s island and has denied any wrongdoing.
Steve Tisch described his connection with Epstein as brief. He acknowledged exchanging emails but said their conversations also covered films, charity work, and investments. He later expressed deep regret over knowing Epstein.
The NFL initially responded by saying that the league was aware of the reports and Tisch’s statement. In February, Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league would examine the available information. However, there was no promise that the NFL would launch a formal investigation.
In March, an NFL memo showed that Steve Tisch and his siblings, Jonathan and Laurie, wanted to transfer their remaining 23.1% stake in the Giants to trusts for their children. The move needed approval from the NFL’s finance committee.
The siblings had completed similar transfers in 2023 and 2024, according to the memo. At the time, it was unclear whether the latest request was connected to the release of the Epstein emails.
By April, Goodell confirmed that the three siblings were no longer owners of the franchise. Last month, Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, Laurie Tisch’s daughter and a strategic adviser to the Tisch ownership group, said the transfers had been completed.
Tisch’s departure from the ownership group has not ended his public involvement with the team. He missed the NFL’s annual meeting in Phoenix, which took place from March 29 to April 1. John Mara attended the event, while Giants reporter Paul Schwartz reported that Tisch would be absent.
The ownership transfer was still awaiting approval at that time. However, Tisch continued to appear at important team events in the months that followed.
He was present in the Giants’ draft room in April and later attended the team’s Week 2 Monday night game in Los Angeles. Front Office Sports had also reported that the Tisch siblings planned to retain their roles within the Giants’ front office.
Steve Tisch is not the only NFL owner whose name appeared in the Epstein files. Front Office Sports also reported that the documents showed meetings between Epstein and team owners Todd Boehly and Josh Harris.
For now, the key issue is that Tisch has given up his financial ownership in the franchise but remains its chairman. The transfer also placed the family’s shares in trusts intended for their children, who would otherwise have been expected to inherit them.
The NFL has not announced disciplinary action against Tisch, and his attendance at Tuesday’s meeting shows that he continues to have a presence within the league.