DeBartolo Investigated Again

This time, owner allegedly struck fan

What's that buried on page 5?

Yes, local San Francisco Bay Area papers are reluctantly reporting that 49ers' owner Eddie DeBartolo is under investigation in Green Bay for allegedly punching a Green Bay fan following the 49ers' predictable loss last Saturday. As you know, DeBartolo is already very familiar with the legal system. He's been formally investigated of fraud and sexual assault in the past, as we've already detailed.

The media has exercised their prerogative to keep this latest incident as hidden as possible, as evidenced by the stories appearing on no better than page 5 in either the San Francisco Chronicle or San Jose Mercury. This is contrasted with the front page coverage only days ago detailing unfounded accusations against Cowboys' Michael Irvin and Erik Williams, once again proving not only the bias in the local media, but the insidious attempt to continue to keep 49er fans ignorant of the true nature of the 49ers.

The 49ers have become so accustomed to scandals that there is a definite, recognizable strategy: the accused disappears from the public eye while team President Carmen Policy plays dumb. 49er-Haters will quickly recall that William "Bar Gun" Floyd was "unavailable for comment" after his arrest for suspicion of drunken driving and the later revealing of concealed weapons charges.

DeBartolo dropped out of public sight during the 1992 alleged sexual assault incident, and has never publicly declared his guilt or innocence following settling the case out of court. Now, once again, DeBartolo has been "unavailable for comment." Front-man Carmen Policy has taken the center stage of denial, as usual, and in reference to DeBartolo's alleged fisticuffs, Policy declared he is "unfamiliar with any of those allegations."

This incident once again gives us time to reflect on the 49ers' official motto, "50 Years of Winning With Class." Not one claim in the slogan is true. They certainly haven't won for 50 years, and class? Not even the most ardent 49er fan can still blindly cling to the claim of class. Will anything become of the DeBartolo charges? Of course not. They'll fade away faster than you can say "Gina Baross."

Update

This incident ended with a reprimand from NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. Click here to read the text of the letter or see a scanned copy.

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