New York Jets owner Robert Wood Johnson never meant to cause his office staff, his players and his team’s fans any distress over the two and half year public battle to build the NYSCC. There is no bigger fan than Woody whose passion for the Jets propelled him to buy the team from the estate of Leon Hess in January of 2000. Mr. Johnson walked the field at Giants stadium on Saturday morning to support the Alliance for Lupus Research, a foundation committed to finding a cure for this deadly disease in which he chairs. He talked candidly about the interception by Albany to vote no on state funding for the proposed NYSCC and where he plans on going from here. “This stadium is pretty old, but it’s not that bad is it”, asked Woody as he looked around at the red and blue seats and worn cement steps of Giants Stadium. “Why, have you been in any worse that this, I replied?” Insert the only good laugh of the day here.

Can you tell me honestly if there is any hope of obtaining a home of our own or is this it, where we are now and where we will stay for the next 25 years? “I can’t rule anything out right now said Johnson, my development team who you are well acquainted with needs a break, we all do. Just like the team when we lose a game, we need to regroup, reflect upon our mistakes and then come back better and stronger. We lost the state funding, they turned down the figures and proposals we put forth, but we didn’t lose the season.”

So is New York City still a possibility? “I’d say yes, anything is possible and the benefits would bring about economic development for a large area of New York City. This is why I brought Jay Cross on board. His work on the American Airlines Arena in Miami and the Air Canada Center in Toronto is proof positive that a venture like this would work effectively for New York with a positive cash flow for the city and state on all levels. Some people fear change and it takes a while for the long term effects to become evident. Jay faced opposition when building the Toronto Center in Canada and that too was a desolate unused portion of the city, you should see it today. As a matter of fact they just built two beautiful condominium developments around the center that provided additional jobs and reasonably priced housing, that’s how I know the NYSCC project would work and long term.”

Do you think the whole Sheldon Silver thing was orchestrated by the Dolan’s? “From the reports I was getting Silver was doing some negotiating for his district and his concerns were for the development of lower Manhattan. Unfortunately for the amount of money I was willing to invest, I didn’t feel it was fair to the city or the region to halt all development outside of lower Manhattan.”

Is Queens really an option now that the Mayor and the Governor have set there sites on building a new stadium there? “The Olympics was part of a package that was offered to us. Now that holding the ceremonies and some events on the West Side has been shot down, it’s not necessary that we tie the team into that part of the building process any longer, but we are not ruling anything out.”

I know that this whole process has taken it’s toll on everyone, but could you comment on the report by the Post last week regarding Jay Cross’s comments at a breakfast meeting where he pointed his finger at the New York Times, which did 30 editorials against the NYSCC and said they were horrified at the thought that someone might have a tailgate barbecue on the streets of their precious Manhattan? “With or without the NY Times, we are going to work together to make something good happen for the Jet fans and for the team, I promise you that much.”

A lot of Jet season ticket holders, fans and friends are a little angry that they supported this project wholeheartedly and now feel that staying in the Meadowlands is not such a bad thing, what would you say to them? “Not to lose heart. This team was built by the loyal Jet fans and that loyalty carries with the team every time they walk out onto a playing field, no matter where that playing field is. Today I can’t tell you where the team will play in the future or what tunnel they will run out of in 2009, but whatever we do, we’ll do it together and we will always be the New York Jets. I’ve heard the jokes about us becoming the New Jersey Jets and I assure you that will never happen.”

- By S. Bracci (limolady2000@hotmail.com)