Charmed

The same victimization mentality surfaced again one year later, after "Big Ange" Lonardo became a government witness. Lonardo told investigators that Naples and Prato ordered the killing of Charlie Carabbia. Lonardo also testified that he met with Naples and Prato to discuss how gambling profits from Youngstown would be divided between the Pittsburgh and Cleveland Cosa Nostra groups.

Policy's response? "I think Mr. Lonardo is suffering from a form of senility," he told the Youngstown Vindicator. "My client never met with the guy. He's never sat down and talked to the man. My client was never a part of any such meetings."

Eddie's Chance to Shine
Naples was the last major gangster Policy would represent. By the mid-1980s, more and more of his legal work revolved around the DeBartolo family.

Edward DeBartolo Sr. had revolutionized the American lifestyle, amassing a billion-dollar empire in the process. Working 15-hour days, he started building homes and gas stations in the 1940s. A decade later he was building strip malls. By the 1960s, DeBartolo was building huge shopping malls. At his peak, DeBartolo controlled 200 shopping centers in 20 states, three racetracks, a professional hockey team, and the crown jewel of football, the San Francisco 49ers.

Policy was already handling some legal work for the DeBartolo Corp. in 1977, when DeBartolo Sr. bought the 49ers for $17 million. The elder DeBartolo instantly installed his mercurial 30-year-old son as chairman of the team.

It was the first time DeBartolo Jr. was given a chance to shine. Like his father, he had graduated from Notre Dame, but that's where most of the similarities ended. Although he went to work in the family business, Junior shared none of his father's penchant for deal-making and was often left out of the loop on important business decisions.

While Denise DeBartolo York remained in Youngstown, learning the development business, Junior occupied himself spending lavishly on his new toy. He reportedly bought new boats for his coaches, threw soirees with Rolex watches as party favors, and had his private chef prepare prime rib for the players when they flew on the team jet.

It wasn't long before Eddie Junior had his close friend Carmen Policy handling legal matters for the 49ers. In 1979, Policy accompanied DeBartolo Jr. to San Francisco to negotiate coach Bill Walsh's contract. Four years later, Policy was named the team's general counsel and vice president.

While DeBartolo was popular with the players, he was disliked by other owners and many in the media. One Bay Area columnist called DeBartolo a "snotty-nosed brat." Rival owners resented DeBartolo's deep pockets, which allowed him to pay some 49ers reserves more than most starters on other teams were earning.

Many owners also felt snubbed by DeBartolo Jr.'s habit of skipping the owners' meetings, sending Policy instead. It was a mistake that years later would haunt DeBartolo and help Policy.

"[Policy] went to all the owners' meetings, and a lot of times Eddie Junior wouldn't go, so [Policy] became more visible," says one former NFL executive. "Maybe too visible. Some owners don't like talking to the hired help."

According to a number of sources, Policy's chief job had nothing to do with negotiating contracts, handling legal affairs, or dealing with rival owners. His primary responsibility was to keep an eye on his friend.

"[Policy] was sent out there originally by Eddie Sr. to straighten out Eddie Junior and see if he could get the place on a proper profit-making basis," says the former NFL executive. "Eddie Junior ... is a wild, loose-cannon type. The kid found out there's a place called Las Vegas, and he likes Las Vegas very much."

"The kid [DeBartolo Jr.] was apt to do anything," says another source. "He was worse than a free spirit. He would do stupid things. He didn't have his feet on the ground."

By all accounts, DeBartolo Jr. -- who refused to comment for this story -- was a loose cannon. In 1992, he was accused of sexual assault by a waitress. He denied the charges, but reached an undisclosed settlement with the woman. Five years later, DeBartolo was charged with assault and battery in Wisconsin after fighting with Green Bay Packers' fans following a 49ers loss. The charges were dismissed after DeBartolo agreed to donate $2,500 to a Wisconsin charity.

And when money failed to keep DeBartolo out of trouble, he always had Carmen Policy.

In 1985, a rowdy Dallas Cowboys fan grabbed DeBartolo by the wrist in the lobby of a San Francisco hotel. Published reports say the 49ers owner hit the fan so hard, the guy went flying across the lobby, slamming into a wall with such force that he smashed a hole in it. Policy never lost his cool. With the lobby in chaos, he dutifully moved a potted plant to cover the hole.

The New Messiah
In February 1991 -- six months before his old client Joey Naples would be killed in a gangland execution -- Policy was named president of the 49ers. He dissolved his partnership with Flask, moved to California, and assumed responsibility for running the day-to-day operations of a team that at the time had won a record-tying four Super Bowls.