Jets owner Woody Johnson has denied an NFL Network report that he had a “very heated conversation” with Robert Saleh.
The NFL owners meetings are taking place in Orlando this week, and this is where the dispute was said to take place.
“All this nonsense about a heated argument between Coach Saleh and me at the League Meeting is absolutely false. It is yet another irresponsible report from NFL Network. Please disregard,” Johnson posted Thursday on X.
The story had started to circulate on Wednesday when NFL Network host Colleen Wolfe revealed the alleged interaction on the “Around the NFL” program.
“Regarding my comments surrounding the Jets on the @AroundTheNFL podcast: no, I was not at the Annual Meeting and yes, I was told of the exchange between head coach Robert Saleh & Woody Johnson by someone in attendance,” she wrote.
“Others on-site Sunday night have since reached out and described the interaction differently. My intent wasn’t to break news, I leave that to the insiders. My sincerest apologies to the Jets organization for the unnecessary distraction during such a crucial part of their offseason.”
On the podcast, she had described an animated interaction.
“From a very reliable source at the owners’ meetings, there was a very heated conversation between Woody and Robert Saleh, to the point where it was a little awkward,” Wolfe said. “What were they arguing about?”
She said it had happened at the party at the owners meetings.
“Hey, who knows? Could’ve been about anything,” Wolfe continued.
“Maybe they were disagreeing about how they like their steak cooked. Doubt that, though.”
She clarified that she “wouldn’t say argument — just a heated discussion … What were they discussing?”
Saleh is entering his fourth season as the Jets’ head coach.
The Jets have an 18-33 record during his tenure, though last year’s 7-10 campaign was seen as something of a “mulligan” season after Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles on the team’s fourth snap from scrimmage.
“My decision is to keep them,” Johnson told The Post of Saleh in December. “I think we’ve had some very positive moves. The culture of the team is a lot better. The defense is better. The offense needs a few pieces.”