The New York Jets have furiously denied a report claiming owner Woody Johnson’s teenage sons Jack and Brick are influencing team decisions by sharing outside media with their father.
‘[The sons] have no roles in the organization,’ a Jets spokesperson told The Athletic. ‘It’s completely ridiculous to suggest that any outside info is intended to replace the opinions of [Woody Johnson’s] staff.’
Jets fans awoke Thursday to a report in The Athletic claiming Johnson nixed a 2023 trade for Denver Broncos star receiver Jerry Jeudy due to his poor rating in a video game. The Broncos ultimately dealt Jeudy to Cleveland, where he recorded the first 1,000-yard season of his career and recently delivered a 235-yard effort against his former team.
The problem, according to The Athletic’s sources, is Johnson’s increasing reliance on his teenage sons, Brick and Jack. To many inside the organization, the owner’s references to the video game appeared to a sign of their growing sway over their father amid another tough season.
‘When we’re discussing things, you’ll hear Woody cite something that Brick or Jack read online that’s being weighed equally against whatever opinion someone else in the department has,’ one Jets executive told The Athletic.
Jets spokespeople have pushed back against The Athletic’s reporting, arguing that Johnson’s teenage sons Brick and Jack do not have any influence over him.
Jets owner Woody Johnson, his wife, Suzanne Ircha Johnson, and his sons, Jack and Brick
Woody Johnson and his son Jack are seen wearing some flashy chains before a 2023 game
Brick Johnson is pictured at the Jets facility in Florham Park during the 2021 Draft
‘It is used as a reference point; it is not determinative,’ a spokesperson told The Athletic to explain Johnson’s occasional mentions of his children in team meetings. ‘It’s really sad that an adult would use a misleading anecdote about teenagers to make their father look bad. It’s ridiculous, quite honestly, the idea that this was used to influence the opinion of experienced executives.
A 77-year-old pharma heir now on his second marriage, Johnson was sidelined from 2017 until 2020 while serving as Donald Trump’s hand-picked ambassador to the United Kingdom. But upon his return to the team facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, Johnson focused his full attention on the struggling franchise that currently has the longest playoff drought in major American sports.
A product of prestigious Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, Brick is entering his first season on Harvard’s tennis team. Previously, in 2021, Brick joined the team’s front office in Florham Park, New Jersey for the NFL Draft.
A photo of Brick later emerged, showing the teenager holding a phone to his ear at the team facility.
‘He wants to learn the ropes of the team and get more involved as he gets older,’ a source told the New York Post at the time.
Livvy Dunne poses with Brick Johnson, the son of New York Jets owner Woody Johnson
Jack Johnson is seen on Instagram alongside Taylor Swift at a Jets-Chiefs game in 2023
Jerry Jeudy has shined in Cleveland after nearly being dealt to the Jets in a 2023 trade
Brick Johnson (top row left), Marcos Llorente (front row right) and Antoine Griezmann (front row right) are seen at a game between the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts last month
Brick Johnson, Woody Johnson, actress Chloë Grace Moretz and Suzanne Johnson
Less is known about the younger Jack, who did go viral alongside Taylor Swift in 2023 as she was watching her boyfriend Travis Kelce play the Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Similarly, Brick had his photo taken with pinup LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne at a Luke Combs concert in June.
In fact, Brick is regularly seen entertaining celebrities at MetLife Stadium, including soccer stars Marcos Llorente and Antoine Griezmann as well as well as actress Chloë Grace Moretz.
Johnson married Brick and Jack’s mother, a former actress named Suzanne Ircha, in 2009.
He was first married to former fashion model Nancy Sale Johnson, with whom he had three children before divorcing in 2001. Their daughter, Casey, died of diabetic ketoacidosis in 2010.
Jets spokespeople did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for further comment about the allegations facing Johnson, his family and the team.
