Statement from New York Jets President Jay Cross

""This is an unfortunate day for any one who believes New York City should continue to build upon its bright past. The Jets are prepared to invest $1.6 billion in the City we love and wish to call home, and yet somehow this project is being held hostage by politics that have nothing to do with what’s best for New York, and everything to do with what’s best for Cablevision. The Olympics, the Super Bowl, new conventions - and most importantly, thousands of jobs - all would be sacrificed so that a monopoly can retain its stranglehold on the sports and entertainment industry in New York City. The pretense for delaying this project is just as appalling. The notion that New York should only build in Lower Manhattan - and nowhere else - is contrary to everything that made this City great. In our campaign to build the Sports and Convention Center, we have forged an unprecedented coalition, including a majority of Councilmembers, Assemblymembers and Senators from New York City, in addition to a diverse group of labor and civic leaders. We are grateful for the tremendous political courage they have shown, defying Cablevision to support a project that will generate millions of dollars in new tax revenue for New York. Today is a setback, but it is not the final chapter to be written in our quest to build a home for the New York Jets in Manhattan. Four years of hard work and planning will not be washed away in a single day. "
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New York Jets (www.newyorkjets.com).