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(Bloomberg) — The NFL is investigating whether a prominent Houston oil broker who owns a minority stake in the city’s professional football franchise violated the league’s personal-conduct policy.
National Football League investigators have initiated inquiries into allegations of inappropriate behavior by Javier Loya, a minority owner of the Houston Texans, during poker parties he hosted at his Louisville, Kentucky, mansion in May 2022, according to spokespeople for the league and the team.
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“The matter remains under review of the league personal conduct policy,” NFL spokesperson Tim Schlittner said.
Loya, co-CEO of energy brokerage OTC Global Holdings LP, was charged with first-degree rape and sexual abuse stemming from his alleged behavior at the poker parties. He denied the allegations at the time. In April, a Kentucky judge dismissed the felony charges, and Loya pled guilty to a misdemeanor count of physical harassment. He paid a $100 fine.
Andrew Sarne, an attorney representing Loya, declined to comment on the NFL investigation. Loya spokesperson Leonardo Basterra also declined to comment.
The NFL’s personal-conduct policy requires that everyone who is “part of the league must refrain from conduct detrimental to the integrity of, or public confidence in, the NFL.”
The policy also states that “ownership and club or league management have traditionally been held to a higher standard and will be subject to more significant discipline” if violations are found.
“We’re obviously cooperating with anything the league is investigating,” Texans’ Director of Communications Omar Majzoub said in an interview.
Majzoub declined additional comment on the NFL inquiry. He pointed to a statement the team issued last year that said Loya agreed to recuse himself “entirely from any team and league activities” until the matters are resolved.
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