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New York Jets team owner Woody Johnson doesn’t have a sterling reputation amid the team’s decade-long struggles, and the perception around him certainly won’t change following a recent scathing report.
The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt, Dianna Russini and Michael Silver detailed an instance during the 2022 season when former Jets quarterback Mike White played through broken ribs in a disappointing loss to the Seattle Seahawks that ended the team’s hopes of making the playoffs. When White threw his helmet onto the locker room floor and went to the showers after the game, multiple Jets players reportedly said they heard Johnson say, “You should throw your helmet, you f–king suck.”
To make matters worse, Johnson’s statement reportedly got back to White. While Johnson apologized to the signal-caller, White chose to sign with the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins prior to the 2023 season.
Johnson, who returned to his role as team chairman in January 2021 after serving as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom in the Trump administration during the previous four years, tore down the organization amid a disappointing 2024 campaign by firing head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas.
There is also uncertainty surrounding the future of veteran signal-caller Aaron Rodgers, so the Jets could be looking at an offseason where they need a new GM, coach and quarterback.
However, as more details emerge about Johnson’s leadership, it won’t be easy to convince top candidates to join a franchise that has the longest playoff drought in any of the major North American sports leagues at 14 straight years.