San Francisco 49ers principal owner Jed York has been suspended for six regular season games and fined $500,000 by the NFL following his August arrest in Ohio.

The league ruled that York violated its personal conduct policy after he pleaded no contest to misdemeanour charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools. York stayed away from the 49ers’ opening three games while the NFL conducted its investigation and also withdrew from league meetings. Those absences will count towards the six-game suspension, leaving him to serve another three games before returning on Tuesday 20th October, immediately after San Francisco’s Week 6 Monday night meeting with the Washington Commanders.

York was arrested in East Palestine, Ohio, on 23rd August during an operation involving local police and the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. Court records initially listed a charge of engaging in prostitution, which was subsequently amended to disorderly conduct. York pleaded no contest to that charge and to possessing criminal tools. He was fined $1,150 and sentenced to one day in jail, with credit given for time already served. A mobile phone was returned to him, while $160 seized during the arrest was designated for donation to the task force as part of the plea agreement.

York said he accepted the league’s decision in full and apologised to his family, the 49ers organisation, supporters and commercial partners. In his statement, the 46-year-old acknowledged falling short of the example he wanted to set for his sons and said he hoped to demonstrate the importance of accepting responsibility for personal failures.

“This was an inexcusable mistake and I take full responsibility,” he said. “Your trust will have to be earned back over time. Leading the 49ers is a privilege — and one I don’t take lightly.”

The NFL did not publish a detailed account of its investigation beyond confirming that York had breached the personal conduct policy.

York’s decision to remove himself from team and league business while the investigation continued prompted speculation that the voluntary absence could affect the eventual sanction, and the NFL has now incorporated those three missed games into the suspension rather than requiring York to begin serving the entire six-game penalty following Friday’s announcement. He will consequently remain absent for the games against Denver, Detroit and Washington before becoming eligible to resume his duties.

The personal conduct policy applies throughout the NFL rather than solely to players and coaches, meaning owners and senior executives can also be disciplined for conduct judged damaging to the league, even when an incident is resolved through misdemeanour proceedings rather than a felony conviction.