Notice to all NFL players below 90 overall rating on Madden. Don't even try to get recruited by the Jets, Woody Johnson takes your video game statistics very seriously… That's in any case what Zack Rosenblatt, Diana Russini and Mike Silver of The Athletic reveal in a vast survey . Journalists took a close interest in the New York Jets to understand the reasons for the great difficulties encountered by the team in recent years.
And it is clear that Woody Johnson, the owner of the franchise, is no stranger to this. According to anonymous testimonies from 20 current or former coaches and members of the Jets staff, the owner very often interferes in the decisions made… for an often mediocre result.
Jerry Jeudy blocked by his Madden rating
The boss of the Jets, who gets his fortune from the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, has been at the helm since 2000. The franchise has had a few good seasons under his leadership, notably in 2009 and 2010 with two successive conference finals. But since then, it has been completely calm. The Jets haven't been to the playoffs in almost 15 years.
The most disturbing element in The Athletic's investigation is this fixation that Johnson allegedly has on players' Madden ratings. Last March, the owner of the New York team allegedly derailed a promising transfer because of that. Then-general manager Joe Douglas was close to signing wide receiver Jerry Jeudy to bolster the offensive squad. All that was missing, according to The Athletic, was Woodson's signature. But the latter would have refused. For what ?
“Douglas told the Broncos (who were going to trade Jeudy, editor's note) that Johnson didn't want to make the trade because he thought Jeudy's overall rating on “Madden NFL,” the video game, wasn't high enough »report several sources from The Athletic.
But does Johnson really know player ratings on Madden? Or has he even played the famous video game even once? According to information from The Athletic, this fixation comes mainly from his two sons in full adolescence, Brick and Jack.
Under the influence of his two sons
The two young people would, according to several testimonies, have a real impact on the decisions made by their father.
“When we talk, Woody [Johnson] often quotes something Brick or Jack read online. It is considered in the same way as the opinion of a member of the executive board”explained a member of this service to The Athletic.
A Jets spokesperson qualifies these assertions and assures that Woody Johnson's two sons have no influence on the decisions made:
“It’s really sad that an adult would use a misleading anecdote about teenagers. It's ridiculous to think they would have as much influence as a member of the executive board. »
And yet, according to several testimonies collected, the two sons have a considerable impact. To the point of awarding the balls to the players of the match themselves in the locker room. Which is obviously difficult for some players. In any case, nothing seems to be going well on the Jets side. With a record of 4 wins for 10 losses, they are already eliminated from the race for the playoffs.
“There are organizations where we do everything to wina Jets player present in 2023 explained to The Athletic. It seems completely different with the Jets. It's the most dysfunctional place imaginable. »
Atmosphere.
