That Classy
Eddie D!

August 1, 1996 (NHS) -- Doesn't it just gnaw at your gut every time some ignorant slob out there belches, "the 49ers are the classiest team in the NFL!" How about when the 49ers are cited as the classiest franchise in football because of their ownership?

Well, it's time to remind those folks of a couple "classy" tidbits about the 49ers' head-honcho, Eddie DeBartolo, Jr. It may not help the vast bulk of granite-skulled 49er fans, but perhaps the truth will sink in someday...

First, set the way-back machine to 1988. The DeBartolo Corporation was investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission in a civil securities fraud lawsuit seeking more than $34 million in penalties.

Naturally, defenders of the 49ers will tell you that the DeBartolo Corp. was owned at the time by Edward DeBartolo, Sr., the father of the 49ers' owner, not Eddie. True, Eddie Jr. was merely president and chief administrative officer, so he had obviously had nothing to do with the fraud, right? In any case, the SEC alleged that DeBartolo Sr. improperly concealed millions of dollars in loans to aid corporate raider and convicted felon Paul Bilzerian in hostile takeover bids.

Who did DeBartolo Sr. loan this money to? DeBartolo Corp. employees and his relatives. And you wondered where the 49ers got the money to bankroll the team of the 80's...

The case settled with DeBartolo Sr. paying around $3 million in penalties, thus avoiding guilt. His "friend", Bilzerian, didn't have the cash to buy his way out so he was convicted. DeBartolo Sr. was worth an estimated $1.4 billion at the time, so don't feel too sorry for him.

Next, let's go to February, 1992, when allegations were filed against Eddie Jr. for assaulting cocktail waitress Gina Baross. It must have been some Valentine's Day gift for Mrs. DeBartolo when she opened the San Jose Mercury and read police captain Dominick Peloso remark, "Upon continued investigation, it looks like it might be a sexual assault" involving Eddie.

According to reports scattered throughout the Mercury in the following weeks, Eddie (then 44 years old, married with 3 children), Carmen Policy, Dwight Clark, and Tom Rathman were among a small group eating and drinking at a restaurant in Menlo Park. Some of the group left and continued the party at DeBartolo's home in Sharon Heights, including cocktail waitress Gina Baross, 24. Obviously, Mrs. DeBartolo and the kids were not home.

According to Ms. Baross, Eddie attacked her in his bedroom after she refused to have sex with him. She was struck by Eddie and then physically removed from the bedroom by another man at the request of Eddie. She fell several times and then ran from the house. She also alleged a form of sexual abuse, which is rumored to be assault with a broomstick. Investigators found Baross' pantyhose were torn at the knee and that her underwear had been ripped.

Eddie dropped out of public sight and simply issued a statement denying all charges. Despite his claimed innocence, he refused to cooperate with any police agency and was not interviewed by investigators. The investigating police recommended that charges be filed. However, the district attorney's office mysteriously dropped the criminal charges one month after the incident citing "conflicting testimony" as the reason. How the testimony could be conflicting if Eddie did not speak to the police is still unknown.

Thwarted by the criminal justice system, Ms. Baross brought civil suit. In June, 1992, DeBartolo settled out of court. The cash settlement was "several hundred thousand dollars" according to the Mercury.

Once again, a DeBartolo had bought his way out of guilt, leaving the door open for 49er fans and the media to let Eddie slither away from responsibility. Whether guilty or innocent of crime, we'll never know, but as far as the notion of "class" is concerned, perhaps it would have been helpful to ask Mrs. DeBartolo about how classy she thought her husband and father of her children was to bring a 24 year old woman into their bedroom.

In the pantheon of sports franchise owners, you would think the name Eddie DeBartolo Jr. would be grouped with Marge Schott, but no. He has been investigated for multi-million dollar fraud and assaulting a woman with a broomstick, yet he is still to this day cited by the mainstream media as "the "class of the NFL."

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That Classy Eddie D!

That Classy
Eddie D!