Report: Jets owner Woody Johnson’s stay at Trump resort cost taxpayers thousands

According to a report by The Scotsman, Jets owner Woody Johnson’s 2018 trip to president Trump’s Scotland resort cost taxpayers thousands.

Jets owner and current U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Woody Johnson’s 2018 stay at President Donald Trump’s Scotland resort cost American taxpayers thousands, according to The Scotsman.

Johnson and his wife reportedly stayed at Trump Turnberry, the president’s Scotland resort, for two nights in the summer of 2018. Trump also reportedly visited the property while Johnson was present.

The report says that American taxpayers covered the bill for Johnson’s stay, which totaled over £1,143, according to a receipt released by the U.S. State Department under the Freedom of Information act. Under current exchange rates, £1,143 translates to roughly $1,477. According to the report, Johnson and his wife “enjoyed a £426 dinner with his wife during a visit to the US president’s Turnberry property and spent several hundred pounds on its golf offerings.”

A spokesperson told The Scotsman, “Ambassador Johnson has complied with all US government travel regulations.”

Johnson’s trip to Scotland is not the first time he has come under fire for his actions while serving as an ambassador under Trump. Reports from The New York Times and CNN over the summer said Johnson used his government position to benefit Trump’s personal business in the U.K. by trying to convince government officials to host the British Open, one of the PGA’s four major tournaments, at Trump Turnberry.

Johnson was also accused of making racist and sexist comments to staff, 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.” He also allegedly objectified, excluded and belittled women and women’s related events on multiple occasions.

The State Department inspector general investigated Johnson for his remarks and found that the Jets owner did make “inappropriate or insensitive comments.”

Jets owner Woody Johnson leads NFL in recent federal campaign contributions

Woody Johnson has donated about $2 million to Republican Party campaigns.

Jets owner Woody Johnson has been one of the top sports owners to donate money for political purposes.

According to USA TODAY, Johnson has donated $1.99 million to Republican campaigns during the 2019-2020 election cycle. He ranks second among sports owners who have donated the most money to political campaigns and leads all NFL owners in that span. Johnson’s donations have been spread out over three donations of at least $360,000. Only San Francisco Giants owner Charles B. Johnson has donated more money among sports owners in that span at about $3.25 million.

The Jets’ Johnson, a Republican, has been an ambassador to the United Kingdom since President Donald Trump took office in 2017. Johnson’s brother, Christopher, has been running the team’s day to day operations ever since.

If Trump loses this year’s election, Johnson could come back and run the Jets. It is also possible that Johnson, 73, would not remain in his ambassadorial role if Trump were to be re-elected. Neither he nor Christopher has provided much clarity on the plan for the team moving forward.

Johnson made headlines earlier this summer for allegedly making inappropriate comments about women and Black people, in addition to accusations of corruption, while serving as ambassador. The State Department inspector general investigated Johnson for his remarks and found that Johnson did make “inappropriate or insensitive comments.”

Johnson denied all of the allegations against him and received full support from his brother.

Former NFL WR compares Jets’ Woody Johnson to exiled NBA owner Donald Sterling

Woody Johnson has come under fire recently for allegedly making racist and sexist comments.

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Following allegations against Jets owner Woody Johnson, former NFL wide receiver Donté Stallworth is ready to compare him to a man who has already been banned from a professional sports league.

Stallworth, who played 10 seasons in the NFL for the six different teams, likened Johnson to disgraced former Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who was banned from the NBA in 2014 and forced to sell the team after his racist remarks became public.

“I wonder how Jets players feel that the team owner, Woody Johnson, doesn’t like to be around ‘a whole bunch of Black people,'” Stallworth tweeted. “Sounds like the NFL’s version of Donald Sterling.”

Stallworth specifically referenced a section of the CNN report that alleges Johnson made racist and sexist remarks during his time as United States ambassador to the United Kingdom. The story claims Johnson asked if a 2018 event for Black History Month would include “a whole bunch of Black people,” questioned why the Black community wanted a month to celebrate Black history and said that Black fathers leaving their families was the “real challenge.”

CNN also reported allegations that Johnson made sexist remarks, objectifying, excluding and belittling women and women’s related events on numerous occasions. Another report, from The New York Times, alleges Johnson also used his position as ambassador to promote President Donald Trump’s business in the UK. Johnson was investigated by State Department watchdogs.

It’s unclear what the recourse will be for Johnson, who denied the allegations, but the Sterling outcome would be the nuclear option for the NFL.

When private recordings of Sterling making racist comments surfaced in April 2014, it set off a chain of events that included a plethora of internal discussions between the league, players and coaches, boycotts of the Clippers logo by players and ultimately resulted in a lifetime ban for Sterling and a $2.5 million fine. The Sterling Family Trust eventually sold the Clippers to Steve Ballmer, officially severing ties between Sterling and the NBA.

Former Panthers owner Jerry Richardson had a similar situation unfold in 2017 when news broke that he paid off Panthers employees due to inappropriate workplace conduct that included sexual harassment and racist comments. He sold the team in 2018 as a result of the scandal.

The Sterling scandal took the sports world by storm and led to a quick and decisive ousting of a racist owner.  It’s unclear what the NFL will do about Johnson, however. The league was aware of the story as of Wednesday afternoon but deferred comment to the State Department.

CNN reported that a spokesperson said the State Department stands by Johnson.