New York Jets owner Woody Johnson insists his teenage son has no influence on the team’s decisions and called recent reports about the organization’s dysfunction a “smear piece.”
johnson told the New York Post He read an article published by The Athletic last month, which reported that the 77-year-old owner had received advice from his teenage son, Brick.
“I believe the article is a classic unsubstantiated slander,” Johnson said in the report released Monday. “No one has ever stood up and written their name on anything. That’s not true at all. It’s all taken out of context. Losing a game gives people artistic license to do what they want.”
As part of the report: athletic It cited multiple sources who shared that 18-year-old Brick Johnson is playing an influential role in decisions related to the Jets’ roster and staff. The report also mentioned Woody Johnson’s second son, Jack, as being involved in the process.
A source confirmed to ESPN’s Rich Cimini last month that Johnson’s sons are “very” involved in football matters. But the Jets denied this, and Johnson reiterated that stance to the Post, saying Brick “plays no role in the organization.”
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers joked about the influence of teenagers during an interview with “The Pat McAfee Show” last month. Commenting on his future and the possibility of the Jets releasing him at the end of the season, Rodgers said:
Johnson admitted to the Post that he brought his sons to the Jets facility to attend team meetings, which he likened to an “apprenticeship.”
“My great-grandfather in my family took my grandfather to meetings when he was a teenager,” Johnson told the Post. “He wore a suit and went to meetings. That’s how you teach the next generation. That’s what you do. It’s an apprenticeship, right. [Brick] Is there a decision to be made? Absolutely not. Despite what you read, there is no decision making.”
The Jets (5-12), who closed their season with a 32-20 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, have missed the playoffs in the last 14 seasons, the longest drought among the four major American professional sports leagues.
The Jets are expected to hire a new coach and general manager this offseason after Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas were fired this season.
