49ers owner Jed York Continues to Flounder
Jed York was rolling along this offseason, staying well behind the scenes letting his hired football staff be the public voice and face of his football team. His hiring of Chip Kelly was the perfect distraction for the media to let feast upon, and as the draft came and went, attention then primarily shifted to general manager Trent Baalke. The two men in the 49ers organization best suited to discuss the nuances of football and it’s players did so with poise and intelligence, letting the 49ers organization for once in the past three seasons, take a breath and let football stand front and center.
The calm was short lived as yet more storms have hit Santa Clara in the past few weeks.
Former 49ers announcer Bob Sarlatte is suing the team for age discrimination, contending he was let go from the job he held for 30 years due to Jed York’s desire to make the organization younger and more tech savvy. Then, Bay Area sports writer Tim Kawakami revealed details from a bet he lost and paid to Jed York following the construction of Levi’s Stadium.
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The age discrimination suit reeks of bad taste, yet nothing that doesn’t happen on a regular basis across all industries. Younger workers generally will work longer hours for less pay, making them highly attractive to any business owner. I can sympathize with Sarlatte as his dismissal likely had nothing to do with job performance. It’s an unfortunate component of a capitalist economy and the 49ers are free to hire and replace any employee they wish.
The York-Kawakami bet came to light only when Kawakami revealed the details on his podcast. The wager was over the construction of Levi’s Stadium and the stakes had been set as lunch. With York winning the bet, he and his wife joined Kawakami and two fellow sports writers for dinner at a very pricey Napa Valley restaurant. Kawakami understood he was on the hook for only York’s bill but ended up paying for his wife’s as well, costing what he estimated at $2,100.
The debate over whether York intentionally stuck it to Kawakami for his criticisms of the organization or if as Kawakami believes, York simply is that out of touch with the common man, is yet another point against Jed York in the eyes of 49ers fans. The angle Kawakami is playing up in his remarks certainly has more poignancy as it relates to the fan base, the people York caters to but cannot see eye to eye with. Though it’s equally possible York was indeed taking his opportunity to hit back at Kawakami, it would have required a childlike petulance that I doubt even Jed York has.
What cannot be debated is the fact that Jed York continues to take missteps at precisely the moment when things start going well for the organization. He has mishandled numerous issues and 49ers fans are way past giving him anything resembling a benefit of the doubt.
When Jed York tried his best to stay out of the spotlight, it still somehow found him. The lightning rod of 49ers fans continues on for the lucky nephew who inherited a billion dollar sports team. York is no longer the inexperienced young man who was appointed president of the organization in 2008 by his parents. Decisions he makes which reflect poorly upon the organization are his to bear and own. Fans can only hope he finds a way to do so.
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