New York Jets owner Woody Johnson can’t seem to stay out of the headlines, and this time, it’s not because of anything his team did on the field. Instead, Johnson is facing some noteworthy accusations by a former player.
Ex-Jets quarterback Jordan Travis accused Johnson of making insensitive comments about his career-ending injury during his brief stint with the organization on a recent episode of the Travis Takes Two podcast last week.
Travis insists that Johnson would repeatedly make "slick comments" about his recovery from injury, once asking him snarkily, "You ever going to get healthy?"
Of course, the former Florida State star never did “get healthy,” retiring from professional football before ever taking a snap for the Jets. Johnson, however, didn’t seem particularly patient — or considerate — when it came to his former player’s career-ending injury.
Ex-Jets QB Jordan Travis calls out Woody Johnson over insensitive remarks
The allegation comes just days after Johnson publicly buried Justin Fields in an impromptu media session with reporters at the NFL league meetings two weeks ago. Johnson threw Fields under the proverbial bus, blaming his quarterback for the Jets' 0-7 start in what was essentially a public humiliation ritual.
The timing of the Travis accusation and Johnson’s recent comments about Fields couldn’t be more ironic. When asked by The Athletic’s Dianna Russini earlier this week why he believes he’s a good owner, Johnson’s answer looks even more ridiculous now than it did just a few days ago.
The longtime Jets owner explained how he believes he can "relate" to his players and that he has "a certain amount of empathy that they can feel." Something tells me Travis and Fields — and likely many others — would disagree with that self-assessment.
It’s yet another self-inflicted wound for an owner whose reputation among fans and players has been deteriorating for years. From tone-deaf public remarks to repeated meddling in football decisions, Johnson has become a symbol of dysfunction for a franchise that can’t seem to escape it.
At a time when the Jets are trying to rebuild under a new regime and restore credibility, their owner continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. But that's just what Woody Johnson has always done.
He always finds a way to insert himself into the story, usually for reasons that have nothing to do with winning football games. As Johnson said in that Russini interview, "I'm obviously not a good owner in terms of winning."
