New York Jets owner Woody Johnson still appears to be meddling in at least some of his team’s business.
In a new story by Rich Cimini of ESPN, it is strongly implied that Johnson intervened to scuttle the potential hire of Wink Martindale as the Jets’ new defensive coordinator. Martindale had sought to run his own defense, but coach Aaron Glenn abruptly removed that as part of the job description.
According to Cimini, Johnson is speculated to have told Glenn to run the defense himself at a private meeting at Johnson’s home. Glenn has denied this, but the abrupt timing of the change in responsibilities raised eyebrows. The speculation was further fueled by the Jets’ ultimate decision to hire Brian Duker, who was not even among the team’s initial set of interview candidates.
This will obviously raise questions about how much freedom Glenn actually has to run his team the way he wants to. Johnson has a reputation for meddling, and his interventions are generally viewed negatively.
Martindale spent the last two seasons as defensive coordinator at Michigan. He previously had successful stints as defensive coordinator with the Ravens and Giants, and was viewed as a strong candidate for the Jets job before it ultimately fell through.
