CHEERIO WOODY
What owner’s ambassadorship to U.K. will mean for Gang Green
The White House off icially announced President Donald Trump was nominating Jets owner Woody Johnson to be the ambassador to the United Kingdom on Thursday night.
Johnson still needs to be confirmed by the Senate, but they already are anticipating his arrival in London.
“We are looking forward to working with the new U.S. ambassador once that is confirmed,” British Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokeswoman said Friday.
“His close personal relationship with the president shows the commitment of the administration to the special relationship between our two countries.”
Jets fans are anxious to know what this means for their team. Here are some questions and answers:
WHEN DOES THIS GO INTO EFFECT?
The Senate needs to confirm Johnson. No one seems quite sure when that might happen. The Senate breaks for summer recess in two weeks, so it seems unlikely it will happen quickly.
Also, news broke of Trump’s intention to nominate Johnson in December. It took six months for it to actually happen.
This will happen at the pace set by Washington and right now Congress has a lot on its plate. This could drag on for a while.
DOES JOHNSON HAVE TO SELL THE TEAM?
No. He has to leave all of the NFL committees he is on, but he will still be the Jets’ owner, as he has been since January 2000.
WILL JOHNSON STILL RUN THE TEAM?
Johnson will turn over day-to-day operations to his brother Christopher. Johnson will not be formally involved in any decisions — big or small — about the team during his term as ambassador, which could last up to four years. So, any hirings and firings will be done by Christopher. Now, they are brothers and it is naïve to think they won’t talk about the team, but ultimately the president wants Johnson to concentrate on his duties in London, not the team in New Jersey, so Christopher will be running the show.
WHO IS CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON?
At 58, he is 12 years younger than Woody and has been a minority owner of the Jets. He sometimes comes to practices with Woody, so players, coaches and front office executives know who he is. Former quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick once referenced him in a press conference. He is one of Woody’s two living siblings, two others died. People who know him describe him as even-keeled and likely to be less hands-on than Woody.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MIKE MACCAGNAN AND TODD BOWLES?
I don’t think this changes much in terms of their futures. Those are still ultimately going to be decided by the direction of the team. Some have suggested that Christopher might have more patience than his older brother, but that remains to be seen. He will face a decision in January because Bowles and Maccagnan both will be staring at the final years of their contracts in 2018. Traditionally, that is when teams either extend or fire their coach and GM.