Woody Johnson
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New York Jets owner Woody Johnson speaks at the press conference announcing the hiring of new head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey.
The New York Jets owner Woody Johnson is reportedly about to buy a stake in another football club — a European football team, that is.
According to the BBC, Johnson, the Jets owner for more than a quarter-century, is slated to purchase a stake in Crystal Palace, a member of the English Premier League.
The news outlet reported that Johnson will purchase John Textor’s stake in the soccer team for about $220 million USD. Johnson will own about 43 percent of the club, which finished in 12th place in the EPL table with 53 points in 2024-25.
This isn’t the first time Johnson’s loyalties were pulled away from the Jets. He stepped away from serving as lead governor of the Jets during President Donald Trump’s first term to serve as the United States ambassador to England.
Why Is Woody Johnson Buying A Stake Of Crystal Palace?
Textor’s minority ownership stake in the soccer team put Crystal Palace’s stance in the UEFA Europa League in jeopardy, since the league’s rules clearly state an owner can not have stakes in multiple teams.
“It’s there in black and white. On the pitch and off it, football’s rulebook can often be infuriatingly vague, but article 5.01 of UEFA’s regulations for its club tournaments is pretty straightforward,” The Athletic’s Oliver Kay wrote Monday. “No one may simultaneously be involved, either directly or indirectly, in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition.”
Textor is also a stakeholder in the French club Lyon, who is also a qualifier for the UEFA-branded Europa league. Based on the rules written above, Crystal Palace would have been barred from participating if Textor didn’t sell his 40-plus-percent stake in the Selhurst, South London-based club.
Enter Johnson, whose pockets are deep thanks to his ties to the New Jersey-based Johnson and Johnson pharmaceutical company. He also has ties to the U.K. due to his tenure as a diplomat abroad.
So to avoid an embarrassing, and potentially growth-hampering mishap, Palace solicited Johnson as a quick purchaser of the stake Textor bought for about $110 million four years ago.
“We do not envisage any issues and look forward to welcoming Woody as a partner and director of the club,” Crystal Palace said in a statement. “We would like to go on record to thank John Textor for his contribution over the past four years and wish him every success for the future.”
Crystal Palace got entangled into this mess seemingly by accident, since it attained status into the multi-national league, governed by UEFA, by winning the FA Cup. Even with Johnson’s reported purchase, the team’s status in Europa is in jeopardy.
“Palace could lose their spot in Europe, earned by winning last season’s FA Cup, on the basis of Textor’s perceived involvement at the club,” BBC reported. “UEFA has been considering whether Palace breach its rules about multiple teams under one multi-club ownership structure competing in the same European competition.”
What Does Woody Johnson Buying Part Of Crystal Palace Mean For The Jets?
For Jets fans, this may not mean anything, since Johnson has a net worth of more than $3 billion.
But for cynical Jets fans, this could mean Johnson’s attention is again divided, which could mean success for the NFL team with the longest playoff drought. New York, of course, has not been to the playoffs since the 2010 NFL season.