THE TROUBLE AT CANDLESTICK POINT

By GINIA BELLAFANTE

Edward Debartolo Jr., the heir to a shopping-center fortune who built his own dynasty with the San Francisco 49ers, has never been the sort of mogul to pride himself on wearing tattered flannel or flying coach. A man with a taste for brandy at $180 a shot, DeBartolo, 51, is known for sparing no cost when it comes to getting exactly what he wants. How to turn a losing team into one of the winningest in the NFL? Recruit the best players, whatever the price. How to secure their devotion to the team? Lavish them with trips to Hawaii, $10,000 diamond victory rings, and endless supplies of roses and gift certificates for their wives and girlfriends. How to get the city of San Francisco to help finance a new stadium for the 49ers? Promise to tack on an opulent shopping mall and tout the whole project as a job-development effort.

But the generous Eddie can also be a troublesome one. In 1992 he was sued by a Redwood City, Calif., waitress who accused him of assaulting her at his home. (The suit was settled out of court.) Then last January, after a play-off loss to Green Bay, the 49ers owner allegedly punched a Packers fan outside Lambeau Field. DeBartolo was publicly reprimanded by the NFL and agreed to pay a $2,500 charitable donation to the Vince Lombardi Cancer Fund. For years DeBartolo and his family have been plagued by allegations of Mob ties, although law enforcers have never substantiated such accusations.

Now DeBartolo's way with his money clip has come under federal scrutiny. Louisiana newspapers disclosed last week that prosecutors in New Orleans have indicated they plan to indict DeBartolo in connection with a long-term investigation of gambling fraud that had focused primarily on the state's flamboyant former Governor Edwin Edwards. Upon hearing the news, DeBartolo abruptly handed over stewardship of the 49ers to his sister.

Although the U.S. Attorney's office in New Orleans has not said what charges DeBartolo may face, published reports say he is suspected of having paid family friend Edwards $460,000 in exchange for help in securing a gaming license for a proposed $194 million riverboat casino. The money in question was seized by federal agents from Edwards last April. Although he intially said he had won it at casinos, Edwards acknowledged on Thursday that the cash came from DeBartolo, who was paying him to represent his interests in Louisiana. Edwards denied any impropriety in the transaction and explained that the exact nature of his business relationship with DeBartolo "will all come out at the trial."

In a statement issued two days earlier, DeBartolo, who had already abandoned the casino project, proclaimed his innocence and implied that he was stepping down from his post only until the charges were settled. His sister Denise DeBartolo York serves as ceo of the Edward J. DeBartolo Corp., a multibillion-dollar real estate empire founded in Youngstown, Ohio, by the pair's father. York immediately distanced herself from her brother's legal troubles and in a less than impassioned jump to his defense declared, "I hope everything works out for him."

A possible bribery charge isn't the only bad news DeBartolo has received. Last week a citizens' watchdog group sued officials of the city of San Francisco in order to invalidate last summer's referendum in which voters agreed to help fund DeBartolo's proposed $525 million stadium/mall at Candlestick Point, a move that could delay the venture and cause problems for DeBartolo's beloved 49ers.

--By Ginia Bellafante. Reported by James L. Graff/Chicago and David S. Jackson/San Francisco

With reporting by JAMES L. GRAFF/CHICAGO AND DAVID S. JACKSON/SAN FRANCISCO