Ron Burkle, the owner of San Diego Wave FC and a minority stakeholder in the Pittsburgh Penguins, was included in the names unsealed this week in a lawsuit involving Jeffrey Epstein. Burkle is not accused of any wrongdoing.
Court documents released Thursday said Burkle “has knowledge of (Epstein’s former girlfriend) Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual trafficking conduct.”
Burkle has not been charged in connection with the Epstein case.
“Jeffrey Epstein was a heinous criminal. Anyone complicit in his crimes should be held to account, and certainly would have no role in our league,” the NWSL said in a statement to The Athletic. “To suggest that someone’s name appearing in a legal filing is evidence of such complicity is a dangerous precedent and we reject it completely.”
The NWSL did not say whether it knew about Burkle’s mention in the case before the filing was released.
Burkle did not respond to messages seeking comment through his investment firm, The Yucaipa Companies. The Wave and the NHL also did not respond to messages. When reached by The Athletic, the Penguins declined to comment.
Federal prosecutors charged Epstein, a millionaire who associated with celebrities, politicians and members of the wealthy elite, with sex trafficking in New York…
