John Harbaugh's first NFL Draft as the New York Giants head coach kicked off surrounded by familiar faces: general manager Joe Schoen, owner John Mara, and Steve Tisch.
Indeed, Tisch was also seen sitting inside the war room when the Giants picked Arvell Reese and Francis Mauigoa on the first day of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Tisch's continuous association with the Giants raised questions on social media because he's no longer part of the ownership of the NFC East franchise. That's because the 77-year-old film producer transferred his ownership interest in the Giants to a trust for his children.
Dan Duggan of The Athletic posted a series of photos taken inside the war room on day one. Tisch is not present in any of them until a fan account noticed a silhouette matching the former owner right next to the Giants' senior VC and chief security officer, Jerry Meade.
Later, Schoen issued a statement on behalf of the Giants: 'He's the chairman of the team, and he's in the draft room like he is every year,' Schoen said via Pat Leonard of the New York Media.
In January 2026, The Athletic published an article after scouring the infamous Epstein Files. The investigators/researchers uncovered several high-profile names, who allegedly had direct contact with the notorious convicted s*x offender and pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein.
According to the report, Steve Tisch's name appears a staggering 440 times in the documents. Tisch exchanged emails with Epstein that date back to 2013. In some of the earliest messages, Tisch asked Epstein to introduce him to women for casual hook-ups. Tisch denied The Athletic's report. A representative of Tisch stated:
We [Tisch and Epstein] 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.
However, the news popped back up a month later in February. In this piece, Tisch is accused of using burner phones to contact Epstein and continue his uncouth debauchery.
Reporters asked NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell whether the league would probe into the links between Tisch and Epstein. Goodell said yes:
We are going to look at all the facts. We are going to look at the context of those and try to understand that — we will look at how that falls under the [NFL's personal conduct] policy. But let's get the facts first.
On March 11, Tisch and his brothers, Laurie and Jonathan, asked the league for permission to give their shares in the Giants to their children's trusts. Tisch is no longer an owner, but he still has friends in the front office. That's how he was able to secure a front-row seat inside the war room.
(4626 Articles Published)