Sports
Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey bring the Jets hope — if Woody Johnson stays out of their way
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Woody Johnson walked along the front of the New York Jets’ media conference room — bigger than the usual one, to accommodate a bigger crowd — and kept stopping to chat with some in attendance. He approached a group of photographers and asked what they thought about the team hiring Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey. He spotted some former Jets, teammates of Glenn from the ’90s, and shook their hands. When Johnson finished chatting with the media after the news conference, he lingered as Glenn was surrounded by a media horde. He bounced around the room, giddy.
Johnson hasn’t been part of a coach introduction in a while — not since 2015, when Todd Bowles was hired as the new head coach and Mike Maccagnan the GM — so maybe there was some pent up jubilance. He was in the United Kingdom when the Jets landed their last two coaches (Robert Saleh and Adam Gase) and general manager (Joe Douglas). All of them failed. But he’s convinced Glenn, a veteran Jets cornerback when Johnson bought the team in 2000, and Mougey are the tandem to pull his franchise back into the playoffs.
“Did you see the two guys we just introduced? That’s why,” Johnson said. “It starts from that. If you want to have sustained success you have to have the right people.”
Glenn said all the right things. Mougey has the experience, and references, to suggest he can thrive in his first stab as a general manager. They both have a plan to get the Jets back to the postseason, presented individually over multiple three-hour interviews that were part of the Jets’ wide-ranging search process. The team interviewed more than 30 general managers and head coaches, and landed on this duo.
But the only shot the Jets really have at success starts at the top: If Johnson doesn’t learn the right lessons from the failures of the Saleh-Douglas era, then the Jets will maintain their place in the NFL’s dumpster, reserved for teams that find more dysfunction than function.
“Absolutely. I have to look in the mirror. I have to be a better owner,” Johnson said, the most self-reflective statement he’s ever made as the Jets owner. “I’m trying to be better. And I do self scout, and a lot of people scout for me. … I think I did it today by introducing the two leaders of this team, the second is to — I’ve got to have patience. I’ve got to let them evolve in these positions, which I think they will. I think it’ll be quick, but I think they’ll evolve.”
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The Jets are Aaron Glenn’s show now
Johnson has been prone to overzealous, impatient decision-making in recent years, demanding results while often skipping the process that leads to them. He was prone to micromanagement, pushing the GM to make moves for players who ultimately weren’t great fits, dictating changes to the day-to-day schedule, listening too much to media and social media and even, at times, meddling in lineup decisions, as he did in forcing interim coach Jeff Ulbrich to bench safety Tony Adams in 2024. Johnson’s impatience led to an impromptu firing of Saleh after a 2-3 start, which spectacularly backfired as the Jets lost nine of their final 12 games to finish 5-12 in a season that started, in Johnson’s eyes, with Super Bowl aspirations.
“You don’t believe those reports, do you? There was a lot of exaggeration, hyperbole. There really was,” Johnson said. “And you really have to take all that stuff with a grain of salt, because you don’t know how much — nobody knows how involved I was. Yes, I want Aaron Glenn to coach the team and I want the general manager to manage the assets and players and I’ll take an owner’s position. That’s what I’d like to do.”
That Johnson is saying these things is certainly a good sign, as was the team’s interview and hiring process, a thorough one guided by former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, representing The 33rd Team. Johnson, vice chairman Christopher Johnson and team president Hymie Elhai were in on every interview. During those interviews, Johnson addressed his reputation.
“Getting to know Mr. Johnson and Christopher throughout this process, it’s clear that the Jets ownership is fiercely competitive, cares deeply about the players and the fans, and is committed to winning,” Mougey said. “I felt that in the interview process each time we met.”
Clearly, Glenn and Mougey were comfortable with what they were told. Of note, both will report directly to Johnson — a change from when Saleh reported to Douglas, who reported to Johnson.
“We had questions for each other,” Glenn said of Johnson. “I was here when Woody bought the team. My conversations with him back then were really, really positive. Coming back here on my second interview and sitting and talking with him, there’s no better person to work for when they sit there and talk, and strategize about having a winning commitment. He has that. That’s all I need to know. I look forward to it. I trust him with everything I have. I look forward to working with him.”
Maybe Johnson will actually give Mougey and Glenn the freedom to build their roster as they see fit. If he was enacting his will, he might force them to move on from quarterback Aaron Rodgers after the 41-year-old spent the second half of the season taking some subtle (and some not-so-subtle) potshots at the Jets owner. But Johnson, he said, is leaving that up to his coach and general manager.
“They’ve got to take a look at how the team’s composed and what they think they need and put all that together,” Johnson said. “No, I’m not going to voice my opinion. That’s up to them.”
Again, the words are promising. The Jets have the seventh pick in the draft and, depending on how they handle the Rodgers and Davante Adams contract situations (trade, release or restructure), could have some cap space to work with this offseason. Mougey and Glenn are inheriting a roster with a core of intriguing talent — Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, Quinnen Williams, Sauce Gardner, Quincy Williams, Will McDonald, Jermaine Johnson and an improving offensive line, in particular — with some obvious holes. There is a path to the Jets being competitive right away.
“I’m not going to tell you how many games we’re going to win,” Johnson said. “We’ll put the team together and maybe we’ll be in a better position. But they’re going to put a team together.” In his opening statement for the news conference, Johnson lauded Mougey’s ability to pick players both in college and on the pro personnel side, and was impressed with his emphasis on the importance of the relationship between the GM and the head coach.
At one point, Glenn turned to Mougey and said: “Darren, bro, we are in this thing together … we are going to do some magical things here.”
Even more important: The relationships between the owner and the coach, and the owner and the general manager. Maybe Johnson will stay true to his words and let Mougey and Glenn build out the team this offseason. But what happens if the Jets start slow? What if they lose a few games in a row at a key juncture? What if they miss the playoffs again?
Only Johnson knows if he will, or can, stay the course.
“Strap on your seatbelts,” he said. “It’s going to be really, really fun going forward. I hope. I expect.”
(Photo: Ed Mulholland / Getty Images)
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Drake’s long-awaited album, “Iceman,” the ninth of his illustrious career, comes out Friday, but fans were given an apparent sneak peek late Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
Overnight, an apparent song from the album was leaked on social media, which is rumored to be titled “1AM in Albany,” a series of songs by Drake storytelling during specific hours of certain cities that began with “9AM in Dallas” in 2009.
The song features some thinly veiled hits at Kendrick Lamar following their feud from 2024 into last year, but fans were taken aback at some apparent shots at LeBron James.
Drake and LeBron James talk after the NBA game between the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Lakers at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on March 18, 2022. (Cole Burston/Getty Images)
James and Drake were once very good friends, with James even taking the stage during one of Drake’s concerts years ago. However, James began to show some loyalty to Lamar during the famed rap beef that found its way to Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show performance.
“I shouldn’t even be shocked to see you in that arena, because you always made your career off of switching teams up,” Drake rapped. James went from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat, back to the Cavs to the Los Angeles Lakers and is set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Singer Drake talks to LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers during an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Nov. 25, 2015. (Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
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In a double entendre, Drake also implored his fans to “please stop asking what’s going on with 23 and me. I’m a real n—-, and he’s not, it’s in my DNA,” a play on words from the website “23andMe.”
Drake and James have linked up numerous times, but if this song is legitimate, and the bars are aimed at James, those times may be long over.
LeBron James and Drake attend the Drake and LeBron James pool party in Toronto for Caribana on Aug. 5, 2017. (Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for Remy Martin)
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“Iceman” will be Drake’s first solo album since he released “For All The Dogs” in October 2023. His first album was “Thank Me Later” back in 2010, and he followed up with classics in “Take Care” in 2011 and “Nothing Was The Same” two years later.
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Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie didn’t expect to ever get a statue outside Crypto.com Arena. After all, it had been 15 years since her jersey retirement and no other Sparks player was featured among the Lakers and Kings heroes outside the area.
After years of hearing from fans that she deserve to be immortalized, Leslie learned she would join Sue Bird in Seattle as the second WNBA player to be honored with a statue at a franchise’s home arena.
“One thing I never had on my bucket list was a statue,” Leslie told The Times on Thursday. “I grew up seeing the statues of some of the amazing Lakers, so I’m just really grateful to be alive and to be one of the first, especially in the WNBA for L.A. Sparks. It means a lot to me, and I’m really hoping that our community will really rally around it.”
The Sparks announced Thursday morning that Leslie will receive a statue to be unveiled during a ceremony on Sept. 20 before a game against the Portland Fire.
During her 12-year career with the Sparks, Leslie won three WNBA titles and league MVP honors. She also won four Olympic gold medals. She was the first player in WNBA history to dunk in a game and her No. 9 jersey was retired in 2010.
She was one of the Sparks’ original players in 1997 and is the franchise’s career leader in points, rebounds, blocks, field goals, free throws, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, minutes and games played, and is third in the WNBA in blocks and double-doubles.
“I’ve known Lisa for nearly three decades and believe that she is beyond deserving of this incredible honor,” fellow statue honoree and Lakers great Magic Johnson said in a news release. “She was the driving force behind bringing back-to-back championships to the Los Angeles Sparks franchise in 2000 and 2001, and Lisa’s hard work and commitment has made her one of the best to ever play the game.”
Johnson, who is part the Sparks ownership group, accepted responsibility for the team’s skid two years ago and promised to do more. The Sparks owners, who also own the Dodgers and Lakers, have responded to losing at a boom time in the WNBA by executing a coaching change, breaking ground on a new practice facility and installing the first Sparks statue outside Crypto.com Arena.
“Lisa’s legacy isn’t just measured by championships and accolades, though; it’s defined by the doors she opened and the standard she set for generations to come,” Johnson said in the news release. “More than an athlete, she is a pioneer, a cultural icon and a force who elevated women’s basketball to new heights. This statue celebrates her excellence, her leadership and the future she helped create, and it ensures her impact will forever be part of the fabric of this city.”
Leslie said that she noticed fan lobbying for her to get a statue beginning in 2019, and the timing for her and the Sparks felt right during the 30th anniversary season.
“It couldn’t be better with the new [practice] facility coming, the new CBA, everything is aligning so properly,” she said. “It’s more perfect than it would have been a few years before.”
The statue was created by sculptors Julie Rotblatt Amrany and Omri Amrany and will join 15 others outside of Crypto.com Arena, including Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, Oscar De La Hoya, Chick Hearn, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Luc Robitaille, Shaquille O’Neal, Bob Miller, Elgin Baylor, Dustin Brown, Kobe Bryant, Gigi Bryant and Pat Riley.
“I hope she looks good,” Leslie said of the statue. “People don’t realize how hard it is to make a statue look good. … They helped me to be super specific about every little thing down to my earlobe and fingernail tip. So I’m excited about all the little details that have been added that people can kind of find on their own as well.”
Sports
US lifts costly visa bond requirement for some World Cup travelers, Trump administration says
FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown: New York, New Jersey prepare
Alex Lasry, CEO of the NYNJ Host Committee, discusses the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in New York and New Jersey. He details plans for free fan experiences across five boroughs and New Jersey, emphasizing public transit solutions for 1.2 million fans. Lasry confirms real grass will be installed at MetLife Stadium for the event, highlighting the global excitement for this major sporting event.
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Citizens of a select group of countries who have purchased tickets to this summer’s World Cup matches in the U.S. will no longer be required to provide thousands of dollars in visa bonds to enter the country and attend the tournament.
On Wednesday, the State Department confirmed the Trump administration is waiving a prior mandate requiring visitors from Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Tunisia to post visa bonds of up to $15,000 to enter the U.S.
The department imposed the bond requirement last year for countries it said had high rates of visa overstays and other security concerns as part of a broader immigration crackdown. Travelers from at least 50 countries are subject to the bond requirement, but the five aforementioned nations’ teams have qualified for this year’s World Cup.
The FIFA World Cup Trophy is displayed outside the White House in Washington, D.C., ahead of the FIFA World Cup Draw on Dec. 2, 2025. (Michael Regan/FIFA/Getty Images)
World Cup team players, coaches and some staff already had been exempt from the bond requirement as part of the administration’s orders to prioritize the processing of visas for the tournament.
STATE DEPT TO START ROLLING OUT FIFA PASS FOR FOREIGN SOCCER FANS LOOKING TO ATTEND WORLD CUP IN US
“The United States is excited to organize the biggest and best FIFA World Cup in history,” Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said. “We are waiving visa bonds for qualified fans who bought World Cup tickets” and opted in to the FIFA Pass system that allows expedited visa appointments as of April 15.
In its own statement, FIFA said the announcement shows “our ongoing collaboration with the U.S. government and the White House task force for the FIFA World Cup to deliver a successful, record-breaking and unforgettable global event” and thanked the administration for the partnership.
President Donald Trump draws the United States card during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Draw at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5, 2025. (Michael Regan/FIFA via Getty Images)
However, the administration has barred travelers from Iran and Haiti, though World Cup players, coaches and other support personnel are exempt. Travelers from the Ivory Coast and Senegal face partial restrictions under an expanded version of that travel ban, even without the visa bond exemption.
The World Cup begins June 11 and is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Some measures from the administration prompted Amnesty International and dozens of U.S. civil and human rights groups to issue a “World Cup travel advisory” that warns travelers about the climate in the U.S.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino hands the FIFA World Cup Winners Trophy to President Donald Trump during an announcement in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 22, 2025. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)
In a report this month, the main advocacy group for U.S. hotels blamed visa barriers and other geopolitical issues for “significantly suppressing international demand,” leading to hotel bookings for the soccer tournament that are far below what had initially been anticipated.
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As of early April, the number of World Cup fans affected by the bond requirement was believed to be relatively small, perhaps only about 250 people, according to U.S. officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. But they said that number was changing rapidly as more people buy tickets and some with tickets opt against traveling.
FIFA had requested the waiver, which had to be approved by the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, officials said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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