Woody Johnson’s alleged comments have caught the eye of the Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation, a nonprofit organization that strives to bring diversity to the NFL. The Alliance said that it is “deeply troubled” by the “insensitive remarks” Johnson reportedly made while serving as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
“Allegations of this nature, if true, are damaging to the social fabric of our country and cannot be tolerated,” the foundation said in a statement. “While only allegations at this point, they are serious.”
The foundation is referencing the racial and sexist remarks Johnson allegedly made, as reported by CNN. According to the story, Johnson questioned why African Americans would want a Black History Month, resisted an event in which he asked if the crowd would be comprised of “a whole bunch of Black people,” and referred to Black fathers leaving their families as the “real challenge.” The story also alleges Johnson made sexually suggestive and belittling remarks toward women and asked why he had to do “a feminist event.”
“We call on the NFL to carefully monitor this situation and, if the allegations have merit, to take appropriate action and work toward rooting out such sentiments from the NFL community,” the Fritz Pollard Alliance statement continued.
A report from The New York Times also claims Johnson used his position as ambassador to try to convince the UK government to move the British Open golf tournament to President Donald Trump’s resort in Scotland, a move that would have benefited the Trump’s personal finances. Johnson was investigated by State Department watchdogs due to the various allegations.
Johnson has since denied the allegations against him, which the Jets echoed in a statement of their own. The NFL said it is aware of the report but deferred comment to the State Department. A spokesperson said that the State Department stood behind Johnson, per CNN.
The Fritz Pollard Alliance has played a role in trying to foster diversity in the NFL since it’s formation in 2003. The organization has been outspoken in pushing for more minority hires across all levels of the NFL and has worked with the league to develop better minority hiring practices. This has included a staunch defense and enforcement of the Rooney Rule, which requires all teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching and senior-level executive jobs.