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Hours after allegations of racism, sexism and corruption by team owner Woody Johnson were reported, the Jets have have released a statement in response to the story.
Johnson, who was appointed by President Donald Trump to be the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom in November 2017, was investigated by State Department watchdogs for a number of allegations while on the job, according to reports from The New York Times and CNN. Jets Wire went over the numerous allegations against Johnson, which included but were not limited to:
- Asking the UK government to move the British Open golf tournament to Trump Turnberry resort in Scotland, a move that would have benefited the president’s personal finances.
- Questioning why African Americans would want a Black History Month, resisting an event in which he asked if the crowd would be comprised of “a whole bunch of black people,” and referring to Black fathers leaving their families as the “real challenge.”
- Objectifying, excluding and belittling women and women’s related events on numerous occasions.
The Jets released a statement in response to the story on Wednesday evening. It included a denial Johnson had tweeted from his official ambassador account earlier in the day.
Statement from the #Jets on owner Woody Johnson pic.twitter.com/K59IGKwOin
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) July 22, 2020
The NFL had already acknowledged the allegations but deferred comment to the State Department. CNN reported that a spokesperson said the State Department stands by Johnson. President Trump, meanwhile, denied asking Johnson about securing the British Open for his resort.
The allegations against the Jets owner have captured the attention of players past and present, including current Jets safety Jamal Adams. Referring to Johnson’s status as owner, Adams called for a change at the top in a pair of tweets.
The Johnson story unfolds as the NFL reckons with its handling of racial and social injustice and sexual harassment against women. Since George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police, the league has announced donations meant to combat systemic racism, among other initiatives. The Washington football team successfully was pressured into retiring its nickname, a racist slur for Native Americans. That organization, however, has since come under fire for allegations of sexual harassment from 15 women, thus igniting an industry-wide discussion on how women are treated in sports.
The Jets issued a statement on social and racial injustice in early June saying that they hoped to create “positive change” within different communities, though the team did not announce specific plans for achieving that.
A billionaire Republican donor, Johnson, 73, initially supported Jeb Bush in the 2016 Republican presidential primary before backing Trump. The heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune had zero diplomatic experience before being named ambassador. When his term began in 2017, Johnson handed day-to-day operations of the Jets to his younger brother, Christopher.
Johnson’s three-year term as ambassador ends later this year.