Giants dealing with questions as controversial chairman Steve Tisch is noticed in group’s draft room… weeks after being named within the Epstein information

New York Giants chairman Steve Tisch remained front and center of the team’s NFL Draft operation on Thursday night, despite his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Tisch’s name recently surfaced more than 400 times in court files related to Epstein, the convicted sex offender who was found dead in a New York jail cell while awaiting trial on new charges in 2019. 

Commissioner Roger Goodell revealed earlier this month that the NFL’s investigation into Tisch’s ties to Epstein has yet to reveal any wrongdoing by the 77-year-old film producer.

But the investigation didn’t stop Tisch, who recently transferred his Giants ownership stake to a trust for his children, from stepping into the team’s ‘war room’ on Thursday as they made two splashy picks in the top 10 of this year’s NFL Draft.

Tisch looked delighted as he was seen on camera celebrating new head coach John Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen selecting Arvell Reese at No. 5 and Francis Mauigoa at No. 10.  

Schoen later confirmed Tisch’s attendance when asked by reporters. ‘He’s the chairman of the team,’ he said. ‘He’s in the draft room like he is every year.’

Tisch has denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein and released a statement expressing his remorse for their relationship. He has not been charged with any crime.

‘We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments,’ the statement read.

‘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.’

In one email exchange revealed in the Justice Department files, Tisch asked Epstein if a woman was ‘pro or civilian.’

‘[Do] you want to know if she as sweet as she seems?’ Epstein responded, adding: ‘boyfriends? trustworthy, etc. she is earnest. is a civilian, but russian, and rarely tells the full truth , but fun.’

Epstein also told Tisch to ‘send me a number to call’ because he didn’t ‘like records of these conversations.’

Another email revealed Epstein telling Tisch he ‘did very well’ with a female acquaintance, who was ‘a little freaked out by the age difference.’

The emails were primarily exchanged around 2013.

Speaking at the recent NFL meetings in Phoenix, Goodell told reporters the NFL has yet to find any cause for action under the league’s Personal Conduct Policy.

‘There hasn’t been,’ Goodell responded. ‘As we said, we’re going to follow the facts. 

‘We have been doing that. We’ve been very focused on making sure we know everything that’s out there. We’ve engaged with others to make sure we have that information.’

Steve, along with siblings Laurie and Jonathan, recently transferred their ownership stakes in the team to their children’s trusts. 

The Tisch family’s re-organization of their 45-percent stake in the team was unrelated to the NFL’s investigation into Steve’s ties to Epstein, a Giants spokesman told the Daily Mail on March 11.

‘As you know, the Tisch family also made some family changes,’ Goodell told reporters in Phoenix on Tuesday. ‘Steve, and Jon, and Laurie actually did some transactions as part of their estate planning and are no longer owners.’

Goodell then clarified that Steve’s changing ownership status has not shielded him from league scrutiny. ‘But we have not found anything that’s a violation at this stage,’ Goodell said.

Prior to recent transfers detailed in the memo, Steve, Laurie and Jonathan Tisch collectively owned 45 percent of the team. The heirs of Giants founder Tim Mara still control the other 45 percent after a 10-percent sale to late billionaire David Koch’s family in September.

The Tisch family bought into the Giants in 1991, when patriarch Bob agreed to take on half the team from Wellington Mara for a reported $75 million.

Bob, the chairman of the Loews Corporation, would die in 2005 just a few weeks after Wellington. Their children, led by John Mara, have been in charge of the NFL franchise ever since.

The Giants are worth $10.1 billion, according to Forbes’ latest valuation.

Away from the NFL, Steve primarily works as a film producer and has earned credits on a number of high-profile movies such as American History X, Snatch and an upcoming biopic on the late NFL coach and announcer, John Madden.

His sister is the founder of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund and former chair of the Center for Arts Education, while their brother, Jonathan, is a hotelier who currently serves on the Tufts University Board of Trustees.