New York Jets proprietor Woody Johnson used social media Thursday to refute a declare by an NFL Community host that he and coach Robert Saleh engaged in a “very heated dialog” earlier this week on the NFL’s annual league conferences in Orlando, Florida.
“All this nonsense a couple of heated argument between Coach Saleh and me on the league assembly is totally false,” Johnson mentioned on X. “It’s yet one more irresponsible report from NFL Community. Please disregard.”
It is uncommon for Johnson, 76, to reply on this method, however he evidently felt compelled after a remark by NFL Community’s Colleen Wolfe gained traction late Wednesday.
On the “Across the NFL” podcast, Wolfe mentioned she heard in regards to the alleged Johnson-Saleh dispute from a “very dependable supply.” She mentioned it occurred on the NFL’s cocktail reception on Monday evening on the Ritz Carlton Resort, which hosted the NFL’s league conferences. She offered no different particulars.
The reception was a jam-packed occasion that included lots of of NFL sorts — house owners, executives, head coaches and their households — alongside the media members. An individual near the Jets’ contingent mentioned there was no heated dialog between Saleh and Johnson at any level throughout the night, which included a personal dinner with the 2 males and different Jets officers.
The Johnson-Saleh relationship has been below the microscope for the reason that finish of the season — a disappointing 7-10 marketing campaign for the Jets. The strain across the group escalated in early February, when Johnson, talking to reporters on the NFL Honors in Las Vegas, put everybody within the group on alert by saying he anticipated an enormous enchancment in 2024.
Johnson mentioned Saleh and normal supervisor Joe Douglas have “seen me about as mad as I might be with what was happening. … We’ve all this expertise, and we have now to deploy expertise correctly. So, I feel all of them obtained the message. That is it. That is the time to go. We have to provide this 12 months.” On Monday morning, Saleh addressed reporters for the primary time for the reason that finish of the season.
Requested about Johnson’s pointed feedback from February, Saleh instructed reporters: “Woody offers a number of good perception, he actually does. No matter what the tone might or might not be, the vital factor is the message, and he is delivered a number of actually considerate, good messages which have helped us progress, particularly throughout this offseason.
“It’s going to assist us throughout the season. So, his phrases are all the time welcome. He is the proprietor of the soccer group and his frustrations are shared with everybody.”
The Jets have gone 13 straight seasons with out making the playoffs, the longest drought for any group within the 4 main sports activities leagues in North America. They started final season with Tremendous Bowl aspirations, however all the pieces unraveled when quarterback Aaron Rodgers tore his left Achilles on the fourth play of the season.
In Orlando, Johnson mentioned he is “fairly impressed” with the group’s offseason.
“I prefer to win video games, like a number of different house owners do,” he mentioned. “Shedding video games shouldn’t be why we’re in it. We’re in it to win video games, each the gamers and the followers. So, we wish to win video games and we’re attempting to place a group collectively. I feel we have made some actually good progress in placing a group collectively to make that occur.”