Jets owner and United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom Woody Johnson is in hot water following allegations of racist and sexist comments to his staff, as well as using his government position to benefit President Donald Trump’s personal business in the UK, according to reports from the New York Times and CNN.
As reported by CNN, Johnson allegedly asked why African Americans would want a Black History Month, resited an event in which he asked if the crowd would be comprised of “a whole bunch of black people,” and referred 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 Jets issued a statement in response to the allegations shortly after they surfaced. Former New York quarterback Geno Smith had a statement of his own to make, taking to Twitter to take what appeared to be a shot at Johnson on Wednesday afternoon:
Immediately prior to that tweet, Smith quote-tweeted the CNN story on Johnson, writing nothing other than a facepalming emoji.
Smith, who was a second-round pick of the Jets’ in 2013, spent four seasons with New York before his rookie deal expired in 2016. Johnson was present for all four years of Smith’s tenure with the organization, as he did not assume his ambassadorial duties until November 2017.
The former Jets signal-caller was not alone in criticizing Johnson. New York safety Jamal Adams called him out, tweeting “wrong is wrong” in wake of the allegations.
The allegations surrounding Johnson surface in the midst of the NFL handling instances of racial and social injustice and sexual harassment against women. Since George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derrick Chauvin, the league has announced donations meant to combat systemic racism. The Washington football team has also come under fire for allegations of sexual harassment from 15 women.
