Edward J. DeBartolo
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- This article is about the former owner of the San Francisco 49ers. For his father, see Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr..
Edward John DeBartolo, Jr. (born November 6, 1946 in Youngstown, Ohio) is an American businessman who developed shopping malls as part of his father's (Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr.) organization, and is probably best known as the former owner of the five-time Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League.
DeBartolo was heavily implicated in the corruption case of former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards. He was indicted and convicted of misprision of a felony (itself a felony) in 1998. In return, he testified against Edwards, claiming that Edwards extorted $400,000 to influence the award of a casino license. He was fined $1million and received two years probation, and was barred from active control of the 49ers for one year.
That legal battle led to another, and as part of a settlement, DeBartolo gave up control of the 49ers in 2000, ceding control to his sister and brother-in-law, Denise DeBartolo York and John York.
The DeBartolo family's alleged Mafia connections are described in detail in Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football by Dan Moldea.[1]
