Sports
What happens if Jets owner Woody Johnson leaves for the Trump administration again
The New York Jets’ playoff hopes likely died in the Sonoran Desert. Owner Woody Johnson’s big swings — firing head coach Robert Saleh, replacing him with Jeff Ulbrich, trading for wide receiver Davante Adams — didn’t work.
Johnson envisioned this season ending in the land of milk and honey. Instead, the Jets are 3-7 after their latest embarrassing loss. Johnson might not even be around for the aftermath.
In the lead up to the Presidential election, there was an expectation around the Jets’ facility that, if Donald Trump won, Johnson would leave to join his administration, as he did in 2016 when Johnson was appointed the ambassador to the United Kingdom. During the 2024 campaign, Johnson made a handful of appearances on Fox News stumping for Trump, his friend, and hosted Trump in his box at the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night road game a couple weeks ago, which took place a day after a Trump rally in Latrobe, Pa. If Johnson is heading back to work for the White House, that news will likely drop in the coming weeks. Last time, Trump picked Johnson on Jan. 19, 2017, and Johnson was confirmed in June. He wouldn’t have to go through the confirmation process again if he’s appointed to the same position — ambassador to the U.K. — though Johnson would have to be confirmed if he was appointed to a different position.
Last time, Johnson’s brother, vice chairman Christopher Johnson, ran the franchise for three and a half years until Woody Johnson returned in 2021. Christopher Johnson wasn’t around the team much in 2022 or ’23, but was back into the fold in ’24, possibly in preparation to take over if his brother leaves again. And if Woody Johnson does leave, it would carry plenty of implications for the Jets’ immediate future, and beyond.
There’s a good chance the Jets will be looking for a new head coach and general manager this winter. Ulbrich, previously the team’s defensive coordinator, hasn’t shown enough to earn the full time job since replacing Saleh in the interim, especially since the defense has taken a step back. The Jets rank last in the NFL in defensive EPA since Ulbrich became interim head coach, as well as 25th in rushing defense, 26th in red-zone defense and 25th in scoring defense. In the Week 10 loss to the Cardinals, they missed 20 tackles, per NextGen. As for general manager Joe Douglas, he’s felt like a dead man walking since Johnson started to enact his will without involving Douglas, who was not consulted before the decision to fire Saleh. Johnson also pushed for the Adams trade and to get Haason Reddick in the building with a restructured contract after a prolonged holdout.
“Woody and I talk every day,” Douglas said recently, sounding defeated. “I serve at the pleasure of the owner.”
Douglas is in the last year of a six-year contract and his best season record-wise — 7-9 in 2019 — came with a roster that he didn’t even build, hired in June that year after free agency and the NFL Draft. He’s never made the playoffs and has a worse career winning percentage as Jets GM than predecessors John Idzik and Mike Maccagnan.
Everyone in the league watched from afar as Johnson fired Saleh in Week 5 and took power away from Douglas. Then, they saw the results on the field. There will be interest if the jobs come open — there are only 32 NFL head coach and general manager positions, after all — but this isn’t exactly looking like an appealing organization for any prospective coach or GM. Candidates with options might think twice.
So that raises the question: How involved Woody Johnson will be when it comes to the next steps, which could also impact the Jets’ ability to lure quality candidates. He will most likely be involved in both searches (if Ulbrich and Douglas are gone), along with Christopher, before he joins Trump’s administration (if he does leave).
There’s also the question of how this impacts the future of Rodgers, who was supposed to be the franchise’s savior but instead looks like a shell of his former self. In the Cardinals loss he had 151 passing yards on 35 pass attempts, the second-fewest yards he’s ever had on 30 or more attempts in a single game.
Some in the organization wonder if, should the season continue down this path and Rodgers keeps playing the way he has, he might opt to retire. He’s turning 41 in December. There’s also the question of what coach would want to join a Rodgers-led team as his skills decline, considering all that comes with coaching Rodgers, from the off-the-field circus to the on-the-field control he demands.
Rodgers currently only carries a $23.5 million cap hit next year, but if he was cut or retired the Jets would incur a $49 million dead-cap charge. If the Jets declared him a post-June 1 cut (or retirement), they could split the $49 million hit over two seasons, with $14 million of it coming in 2025 and $35 million in 2026.
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There is still an avenue to Rodgers returning in 2025, though, and it actually starts with the Woody and Christopher Johnson dynamic. Rodgers has a close relationship with Christoper Johnson. When the Jets contingent (the Johnsons, Saleh, Douglas, Nathaniel Hackett and team president Hymie Elhai) visited Rodgers at his Malibu home last year to try and convince him to join their team, Christopher Johnson actually arrived first and spent time with the quarterback before the others arrived. Rodgers has a closer relationship with Christopher than with Woody, according to team sources, and some think Christopher Johnson’s presence might help convince Rodgers to stick around.
If Woody Johnson is making the calls, though, it wouldn’t be shocking if he wanted to move on from Rodgers considering the lack of success the team has had relative to expectations. After firing Saleh, Johnson called this Jets roster the most talented in his 25 years as owner.
Regardless of whether Rodgers returns, though, the roster will likely look a whole lot different in 2025. Some notable players set to become free agents: cornerback D.J. Reed, tight end Tyler Conklin, tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses, defensive end Haason Reddick, linebacker Jamien Sherwood, safety Tony Adams, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and safety Isaiah Oliver. The Jets will also have decisions to make on wide receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard. Star 2022 draft picks Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall are eligible for extensions for the first time.
Christopher Johnson made some questionable decisions in his time running the team, namely hiring Adam Gase in 2019, and waiting until after free agency and the draft to fire Maccagnan later that year. But some around the team feel that Christopher Johnson learned a lot from his first go-around and that he’s more likely to allow whomever the Jets hire as general manager the autonomy to run the team without much interference. That’s less likely to be true if Woody Johnson remains in the building.
(Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
Sports
LeBron James may be target of apparently leaked Drake song featuring ‘switching teams’ lyric
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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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Sports
Lisa Leslie moved as she becomes the first Sparks star with statue outside Crytpo.com Arena
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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