Tyson CFO, Chairman’s Son, Accused of Passing Out Drunk in Stranger’s Home

Nov. 8, 2022

John Tyson had been seen as a potential company leader.

The CFO of Tyson Foods, the son of the company’s chairman, has been charged with wandering into the home of a stranger and passing out, apparently while intoxicated.

John Tyson, 32, was charged by police in Fayetteville, Ark., with trespassing and public intoxication after the incident, which took place early in the morning of Sunday, Nov. 6. A woman reported to police that a stranger entered her home, apparently through an unlocked front door, and was asleep in her bed. Police attempted to wake Tyson up, but after sitting up, he lay back down immediately, and there was an odor of intoxicants about his person, according to police reports quoted in the Wall Street Journal.

John Tyson sent an all-company email on Nov. 7 in which he apologized for the incident and said he is receiving alcohol counseling: “I am embarrassed for personal conduct that is inconsistent with my personal values, the company’s values, and the high expectations we hold for each other here at Tyson Foods.”

John Tyson was made CFO on Oct. 2, after receiving an MBA from Stanford University in 2018 and working a few years in investment banking. He was seen as a potential successor to the leadership role in the company, where a majority of voting stock is controlled by the Tyson family.

About the Author

Pan Demetrakakes | Senior Editor

Pan has written about the food and beverage industry for more than 25 years. His areas of coverage have included formulations, processing, packaging, marketing and retailing. Pan worked for Food Processing Magazine for six years in the 1990s, where he was operations editor (his current role), touring dozens of food plants of every description. He has also worked for Packaging and Food & Beverage Packaging magazines, the latter as chief editor, during which he won three ASBPE awards. He is a graduate of Stanford University with a BA in communications.