The Jets have joined the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.
The team, along with the family of owner Woody Johnson, will make a joint $1 million donation to three United Way agencies in the local area, according to the Jets’ website. All three organizations – located in New York City, northern Jersey and Long Island – have set up funds to send aid to those affected by the pandemic, either physically, financially or both in vulnerable areas. They are the UWNYC Covid-19 Community Fund, the ALICE Recovery Fund, and United Together: A Response Fund for COVID-19.
“The United Way continues to improve lives around the world and we need community-based organizations more than ever at this moment,” Jets CEO Christopher Johnson said. “Everyone has been impacted by this invisible enemy and the United Way is meeting it head-on at home, helping those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and the economic consequences of the outbreak.”
The Jets and the NFL have been partners with United Way since 1973 and the agencies the team donated to will help people in areas where the outbreak has spread the most. New York City currently has over 12,000 cases, while Nassau County has over 2,400 and the state of New Jersey has 1,914 reported coronavirus cases.
The Jets aren’t the only NFL team or group to contribute to help stop the spread of the virus. Donations from various players, teams and owners throughout the sports world have been pouring into the country since the pandemic shut down every major sports league earlier this month.