Buh-Bye, DeBartolo

Eddie D. resigns as CEO of the 49ers as Feds move in for the kill

Edward DeBartolo, Jr., a.k.a. Eddie D., a.k.a. the notorious owner of the San Francisco 49ers, resigned his post as CEO of the team on Tuesday, December 2. He did so to fully prepare to face an impending fraud indictment in federal court related to his gambling dealings in Louisiana.

That Eddie D. will be charged with fraud is no surprise; we've detailed his countless shenanigans over the years: the alleged sexual assault, when he punched the Green Bay fan, the allegations of stadium fraud, etc. (see the crime blotter for other 49er crimes). Plus, the DeBartolo corporation had already been nailed by the S.E.C. for securities fraud in the past, and the 49ers were fined $60,000 for a 1991 illegal campaign contribution scheme. In other words, anyone with half a brain understands that Eddie D. is on the same level as, well, slime, and that fraud is simply a way of life for him. The real surprise is that it looks like he actually is caught this time.

But before you fret for the welfare of poor Eddie D., remember he has a huge support base. The troops, a.k.a. his Bay Area media, are already rallying around him. Local sports talk stations, like KNBR, quickly entertained callers' notions that this was just a "witchhunt" by the federal government. In response, a KNBR host noted, "For those of us who know Eddie DeBartolo, let's hope you're right." In other words, the media knows Eddie is such a great guy so let's root for him to win or get off on a technicality.

The other technique used by the media to help out Eddie was good-old silence: never before in the history of KNBR had there been so much talk about the Golden State Warriors. It seems everyone is interested in Latrell Sprewell's fisticuffs instead of the dethroning of DeBartolo. Yet, pop into the 49ers newsgroup on the Internet, where the media cannot censor the content, and you'll see a different picture. There are calls for the NFL to get off it's fleshy seat and take do some investigating of the 49er regime. As one person said, "If the man is capable of fraud in one business transaction, what else is there?" Another poster, a 49er fan, put things into perspective, "This makes Jerry Jones look like Mary Poppins."

Stadium in doubt

As early as Wednesday the San Francisco Chronicle was already reporting that Mayor Willie Brown was "cautious" in his continued backing of the new stadium project. As you know, even before this hit the fan, the stadium election was already broiled in controversy. Various groups have been outspoken in their belief that the election was rife with fraud and deceit, such as E-Media's website, and the Committee to Stop the Giveaway is still thinking about filing a lawsuit to challenge the election results. This latest material does nothing but help the causes of these groups and puts the new 49er stadium in jeopardy. After all, if you were a member of the electorate, how would you like to give $100 million to an organization associated with fraud?

NFL: likely to do nothing

If DeBartolo is being investigated for fraud by the United States Attorney, will this provoke the NFL to look into some of the 49ers' antics of the past? For example, the fact that agent and 49er-buddy Leigh Steinberg is able to convince his clients that it's in their best interests to take million-dollar pay cuts to play for the 49ers (for example, Kevin Greene). Or what about the time Steve Wallace and the 49ers duped the Philadelphia Eagles into paying most of Wallace's salary? Or how about when the 49ers outright lied about the status of Steve Young's rib injury?

No, the NFL did nothing about any of these transgressions. In fact, the only times that the NFL has responded are when they fined the team for making illegal compensation promises and recently, in the fan-punching incident, Tagliabue sent a letter equivalent of a slap on the wrist. So why would they magically do something about their favorite franchise now?

Can't get hopes up

Have we seen the last of Eddie? Don't get your hopes up. First, he still owns the team. As one source put it, "Eddie will always have a seat in the box, but basically won't have a say in the finances."

And remember, DeBartolo dropped out of public sight during the 1992 alleged sexual assault incident, only to come back and hobnob with the media, smelling like a rose. Back then, Eddie avoided publicly commenting on his guilt by settling the case out of court. Unlike the usual "no comment", this time Eddie is proclaiming his innocence.

Thankfully, this once again gives those in 49er-fantasyland the chance to rethink any notions they still may yet cling to regarding 49er class. As to what will become of the DeBartolo indictment, we'll believe it when we see it. Up until now, every charge against DeBartolo has faded away faster than you can say "Gina Baross." But this is the first time Eddie's resigned as CEO. It truly may be the end of a dark era.

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