On Monday night, Jets owner Woody Johnson issued a jarring statement questioning the process that resulted in the coin flip that awarded the first regular-season game at the new stadium the New York teams will share.
“When the issue of which team would be hosting the first regular season
game could not be resolved on the merits, I suggested a coin toss as the
fairest way to resolve this issue,” Johnson said. “The League rejected that idea.
Then, I was told on Friday that a coin toss had taken place at the
League office and that the Jets had lost. We rejected a process in
which neither team was present. The League departed from our
time-honored tradition and declined the opportunity to set the matter
straight with a transparent process.”
Now, possibly after receiving a pointed and disapproving response from the league office, Johnson says he didn’t mean to question the Commissioner’s integrity, according to Judy Battista of the New York Times.
“He and I just disagree, and we have disagreed in the past and probably in
the future as well,” Johnson said. “I never directed anything towards
Roger. Just the process we were talking about, not Roger.”
Right, but Roger is the person who presided over the coin toss. And Johnson saw fit not only to privately express his concern to Roger, but also to publicly air this specific piece of dirty laundry, in a manner that allowed reasonable minds to differ on the question of whether Johnson was accusing the league office of cheating. (Some believe he wasn’t; others like us believe he was.)
Johnson also said that he has yet to hear from any of the other owners regarding the matter. “They might have disagreements,” he said. “They might have an
interpretation that was unintended by me, and I’ll be happy to talk to
them.”
Given that the gang is getting together in Orlando in four days, he’ll get that chance. And it could be delicate. Per Battista, an unnamed league executive said “some” owners were “angry” at Johnson because they viewed his statement as questioning Goodell’s integrity.
We agree with that interpretation. As explained in today’s PFT Daily, we all have people in our lives we
would trust to conduct a coin toss in our absence. Johnson, apparently, doesn’t regard Goodell that way.
If my team was given the Monday Night opener, and a home Thanksgiving game… I would play nice, too!
Wow Florio he didn’t even backtrack on his comments, he clarified them: “I never directed anything towards Roger. Just the process we were talking about, not Roger.” LET THIS GO FLORIO, you’re making nothing out of nothing!
If historically all coin flips were done with each team in attendance, it’s fair to ask why this would be any different, especially after the Jets had suggested a coin flip to begin with. Not nearly as big of a deal as everybody is making it, since it was a reasonable question.
Woody is playing turtle? I hate when that happens.
In this day and age of technology there was no reason for the coin flip to be conducted behind closed doors. All parties involved could’ve been connected via the internet and web cams. I’m sure everybody involved could’ve easily cleared 5 minutes in their schedules for the process.
He**, it could’ve been done on NFLN during NFL Total Access. That way everybody could’ve watched.
“We agree with that interpretation. As explained in today’s PFT Daily, we all have people in our lives we would trust to conduct a coin toss in our absence. Johnson, apparently, doesn’t regard Goodell that way.”
If he wouldn’t conduct a coin toss with me present I wouldn’t trust the son of a bitch either. Johnson is a clown, but he had a legitimate beef this time.
Secret coin toss, my ass. If Goodell felt that giving the date to the Giants was in the league’s best interest, he should have just said so. In my humble opinion, Goodell is a pretty good commissioner and probably a decent human being (as far as human beings go). It’s just that he happens to be full of ca-ca on this one. Secret coin toss. Right.
Regardless of whether Woody should have opened his mouth or not, does anyone actually believe this coin flip really happened?
R.I.P. Alex Chilton
Send the Jets on the road in week 1, and give the Giants the night game.
Maybe at that point Woody will STFU.
No Country For Old Men…
Watch the movie…
Goodell thinks he is Anton Chigurh
Would anyone accept a referee coming out at the start of overtime and saying, “we flipped the coin 5 minutes ago, in a room by ourselves, and you lost. Other team gets the ball”?
This has BS written all over it. League wanted the Giants, or was pressured into choosing them. So the AFC Championship-game team loses out to the terrible, awful, no-good, very-bad 2009-season team.
Another reminder that sports isn’t a simple meritocracy.
Aw c’mon, the guys name is not Woody Johnson?!
Can Florio do any more obvious public ass kissing of Goodell than THIS article? I wonder if his NBC bosses TELL Florio what to say in his columns about issues involving the commissioner.
the way the coin toss was handled shows questionable intelligence, not integrity (hopefully) but it’s too late now
As a Jets fan I believe Woody should just shut the hell up and do what he does best… own the team; nothing more, nothing less!
Aside from that… who really gives a crap; this really isn’t that newsworthy… I think you’re reaching with this one Florio!?.
With a name like Woody Johnson……..I fail to see how he could lose a coin flip
Many Jets fans hate the perception, and its probably the reality, that they take a back seat to Giants fans in NY. Trying to sell PSLs, it makes sense for Woody to go to bat for that first game in the new stadium, especially considering the outspoken nature the Jets have taken on.
If he knew about the Monday night and Thanksgiving games, then he definitely shouldn’t have said anything.
I’m sure everyone at PFT knows they have helped blow this situation out of proportion, but that’s part of your job, and you’re all damn good at it.
The problem isn’t that Johnson doesn’t trust Goodell. Distrust is an important part of business. The problem is he should keep his mouth shut about it.
Jets fans: Blah, blah, blah…he CHEATED! BLAH! BLAH! BLAH!…………..BLAH!
Everyone else: STFU and get over it
Any questions?
Goodell’s coin toss sounds a LOT like something Vince McMahon would do. Unsurprisingly.
It’s 50/50 whether he trusts Goodell. His real point wasn’t whether he trusts him, though. His real point was that if you’re *going* to do a coin flip, the affected parties should be involved…not notified later. I doubt Woody would’ve even cared if they’d done it over the telephone in a conference call. He’d believe whatever he was told as to how the coin landed. It’s not that he doesn’t believe Goodell was honest about the outcome…it’s that the people it mattered to weren’t even involved. It’s a fair beef.