The NFL announced yesterday that the Giants would get the first regular season game at the New Meadowlands Stadium, and the Jets aren't very happy! Jets owner Woody Johnson blasted NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's coin toss process, first chastising him for straying from tradition, "An NFL coin toss has a few fundamental elements that are missing here, most notably the presence of the teams involved. That's how it's always done in the League, whether it’s determining the order of the draft or deciding who’s going to kick off the game."
His statement continues with further veiled accusations, "When the issue of which team would be hosting the first regular season game could not be resolved on the merits, I suggested a coin toss as the fairest way to resolve this issue. The League rejected that idea. Then, I was told on Friday that a coin toss had taken place at the League office and that the Jets had lost. We rejected a process in which neither team was present. The League departed from our time-honored tradition and declined the opportunity to set the matter straight with a transparent process."
The Daily News's Gary Myers suggests that Johnson is sabotaging hopes of a 2014 NY (well, NJ) Super Bowl by criticizing Goodell. Also interesting: Johnson knew about the coin toss on Friday... but the Jets' website said that a coin toss had yet to happen on Saturday!
It's probably little consolation that the Jets will get the first preseason game at the New Meadowlands.
