Robert Wood Johnson IV (born April 12, 1947) is an American businessman who was United States ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2017 to 2021. He is a great-grandson of Robert Wood Johnson I, and a billionaire heir to the

Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...

pharmaceutical fortune. In 2000, Johnson purchased the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The ...

, a franchise of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

; Johnson remains the co-owner of the Jets, along with his brother,

Christopher Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or " Anointed", and φέρε� ...

, who is vice-chairman. A longtime

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

donor, Johnson was a supporter of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

's presidential campaigns. He was appointed by Trump to the post of United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Britain’s exit from the EU and the relocation of the United States embassy in London occurred during his tenure.

Early life, family, and education

Johnson is heir to the

pharmaceutical fortune, which was founded by his great-grandfather, Robert Wood Johnson I. Johnson was born in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city in and the seat of government of Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Robert Wood Johnson III, who was president of Johnson & Johnson for four years. Johnson grew up with four siblings, Keith Johnson, Billy Johnson, Elizabeth "Libet" Johnson, and Christopher Wold Johnson, in northern New Jersey, and attended the Millbrook School. Johnson worked summer jobs at Johnson & Johnson. Johnson graduated from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first ...

Career

Sports

In January 2000, Johnson purchased the

for $635 million, at the time the third-highest price for a professional sports team and the highest for a New York professional sports team. Johnson outbid the offer of $612 million placed by Charles Dolan, the owner of the

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

, and

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its ho ...

. ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' valued the team at $3.2 billion as of September 2019. After buying the Jets, Johnson announced plans to move them to the proposed

West Side Stadium West Side Stadium (also known as the New York Sports and Convention Center) was a proposed football and Olympic stadium to be built on a platform over the rail yards on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The stadium would have been ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. However, after the project's defeat in 2005, Johnson announced the Jets would move to a

new Meadowlands Stadium MetLife Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 5 mi (8 km) west of New York City. Opened in 2010 to replace Giants Stadium, it serves as the home for the New York Giants and ...

as an equal partner with the Giants. The new stadium opened on April 10, 2010, with naming rights being acquired by

MetLife MetLife, Inc. is the Holding company, holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, Annuity (US financial produc ...

. Johnson was a member of the eight-man NFL search committee to choose a successor to Paul Tagliabue as NFL commissioner. Johnson's brother Christopher took over as CEO and acting owner in 2017, while Johnson was U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. In 2021, after returning to the U.S., Woody Johnson returned as Jets chairman, while Christopher Johnson became vice-chairman. In June 2021, Johnson stated his excitement to work with coach

Robert Saleh Robert Saleh (born January 31, 1979) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). A defensive coach for much of his 20-year coaching career, Saleh has served as an assistant co ...

and general manager Joe Douglas, whom he praised. He expressed optimism about putting together a winning team in 2021, after the Jets had experienced setbacks during his absence. In March 2022, Johnson made a £2 billion bid to purchase Chelsea F.C. from sanctioned billionaire

Roman Abramovich Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich (, ; he, רומן ארקדיביץ' אברמוביץ'; born 24 October 1966) is a Russian oligarch and politician. He is the former owner of Chelsea, a Premier League football club in London, England, and is the ...

. He became a fan of the football team while serving as US Ambassador to the United Kingdom. His knowledge of London and sports management was expected to give him an edge over Saudi Media Group, another party interested in buying the team. On March 25, it was reported that he was no longer in the bidding for Chelsea F.C.

The Johnson Company, Inc

Johnson was the chairman and chief executive of The Johnson Company, Inc., a private investment firm. In August 2006, Johnson was asked to testify before the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations regarding his participation in a

tax avoidance Tax avoidance is the legal usage of the tax regime in a single territory to one's own advantage to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law. A tax shelter is one type of tax avoidance, and tax havens are jurisdi ...

scheme. A Senate report said that Johnson, along with others, was able to buy, for relatively small fees, roughly $2 billion in capital losses that they used to erase taxable gains they garnered from stock sales. The U.S. Treasury lost an estimated $300 million in revenue as a result. In a statement, Johnson said he had been advised by his lawyers in 2000 that the transaction "was consistent with the Tax Code." After the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory t ...

challenged that view in 2003, Johnson in 2006 settled with the IRS and agreed to pay 100 percent of the tax due plus interest. Johnson was the committee president of the Pre-Commissioning Unit for the ship .

Net worth

Johnson is the billionaire heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune. His net worth was estimated at $5.7 billion in March 2022.

Political fundraising

Johnson has given more than $1 million to various Republican candidates and committees. Between 1997 and 1998, he donated $130,000 to the Republican Party, along with donating $22,583 to George W. Bush's 1998 gubernatorial re-election campaign of Texas. He was later a major New York fund-raiser for Bush's 2000 presidential campaign. In May 2008, he orchestrated a fundraiser in New York City that brought in $7 million in a single evening for

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two te ...

presidential campaign President most commonly refers to: * President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

, by far the largest amount collected up to that point by a campaign that had been struggling to raise money. Johnson also provided significant funding to 2008 Republican National Convention host committee; from a $10 million shortfall, Johnson contributed personally and solicited friends to assist in covering the convention deficit. In 2011, Johnson endorsed former Massachusetts Governor

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts ...

in the 2012 Republican presidential primaries. In September 2013, Johnson hosted a fundraiser for the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in ...

(RNC) at his home in New York City. By 2016, Johnson had known

for about 30 years, with the two men having social connections. Nevertheless, in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, Johnson initially endorsed

Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Bush, who grew up in Houston, was the second son of former President George H. W. Bush ...

over Trump. In June 2015, Johnson was named the national finance chairman for Bush's campaign. On several occasions, Trump singled out Johnson in a speech attacking Bush for accepting "special interest" money from donors. In May 2016, after Trump became the presumptive nominee, Johnson endorsed Trump for president. He met with Trump at Trump Tower and was named one of the RNC's six finance vice chairmen, responsible for an effort to raise $1 billion on behalf of Trump's campaign. Johnson had by August 2019 donated $1.5 million to Trump's campaign and inaugural committee. In February 2020, Johnson gave $575,000 to a fundraising committee for Trump's 2020 re-election campaign, and $355,000 to the RNC. In May 2020, he gave $1 million to America First Action, Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC. On January 8, 2021, Johnson released a statement condemning the

2021 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of then- U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The mob was seeking to keep Trump in p ...

, and calling it a "dark day" in US history.

United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom

On January 19, 2017, President-elect

announced that he planned to nominate Johnson to become United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. On June 22, 2017, Trump nominated Johnson for the position. Prior to becoming ambassador, he had no diplomatic experience. Following a hearing in the

Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations ...

, Johnson was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 3, 2017, by

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

. He was sworn in by

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 50th ...

on August 21, 2017, in the

Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the President of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval-shaped roo ...

. Johnson presented his credentials to Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...

on November 8, 2017. In 2018, Johnson oversaw the relocation of the United States Embassy in London from

Grosvenor Square Grosvenor Square is a large garden square in the Mayfair district of London. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from the duke's surname "Grosvenor". It was developed for fashionable ...

, where it had been since 1938, to a new location in

Nine Elms Nine Elms is an area of south-west London, England, within the London Borough of Wandsworth. It lies on the River Thames, with Battersea to the west, South Lambeth to the south and Vauxhall to the east. The area was formerly mainly industrial ...

Brexit

During Johnson's tenure, Britain withdrew from the EU. Johnson advocated for a bilateral US-UK trade deal post-Brexit, in line with President Trump's hopes during that time. Johnson had a private dinner with Queen Elizabeth II at Winfield House on March 14, 2019, just two days after British Parliament rejected Theresa May's Brexit plan. In June 2019, he further stated that a post-Brexit deal between the US and the UK would cover "all things that are traded", including the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

and agricultural sector. In January 2020, Johnson stated that the US was never interested in the NHS, but reiterated American interest in a free-trade deal with the UK.

Agriculture

Johnson advocated for closer agricultural trade between the US and UK, and the deregulation of US food exports to Britain. In March 2019, Johnson wrote an article in the ''

Daily Telegraph Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

'' saying that chlorinated chicken was a "public safety no-brainer" and that health fears over hormone-fed beef were "myths". This came after he urged the UK to open up to the US agriculture market after the British exit from the European Union and ignore the "smear campaign" of those with "their own protectionist agenda". Johnson was criticized by several British agriculture standard boards, such as the Red Tractor Assurance whose CEO, Jim Moseley stated the UK's food standards were "now under threat from ... the United States food lobby". Minette Batters, president of the UK National Farmers Union, agreed with Johnson's claims that chlorine-rinsed chicken was safe for consumption, but stated that factors such as animal welfare and environmental protection also had to be considered. Batters commented that accepting US agricultural products produced in ways that would be illegal in the UK would "put British producers out of business". The US National Farmers Union maintained that US methods of meat production were "safe", describing criticism as "fear-mongering".

Huawei

Johnson advised the UK government to ban

Huawei Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ( ; ) is a Chinese multinational technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, produces and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics and various sma ...

from being used in the nation's 5G networks after departing Prime Minister

Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...

approved the company in early 2019. Johnson said that Huawei could represent an economic and security risk, comparing it to "letting a kleptomaniac move into your house." In 2020, after Britain decided to ban Huawei from its 5G mobile networks, Johnson welcomed the decision as a victory for human rights and fair trading practices.

Allegations of "inappropriate or insensitive comments" to embassy staff

In 2020, Johnson was investigated by the State Department inspector general over allegations that he made sexist and racist comments to embassy staff. He had been reported to have held official meetings at mens-only clubs in London, which meant that female staff members would not be able to attend. According to the ''New York Times'', half a dozen current and former embassy employees said that Johnson made staff members uncomfortable by making remarks about their appearances or race. One diplomat said he made disparaging remarks about

Black History Month Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently ...

. The inspector general's report, issued in August 2020, found that Johnson "sometimes made inappropriate or insensitive comments on topics generally considered Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)-sensitive, such as religion, sex, or color" that could "create an offensive working environment" and violate EEO (antidiscrimination) laws.
Inspection of Embassy London and Constituent Posts, United Kingdom
Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of State (August 2020) *Lara Jakes & Mark Landler

''New York Times'' (August 12, 2020). *Courtney McBride
Woody Johnson, U.S. Envoy to London, Made Insensitive Remarks, Watchdog Finds
''Wall Street Journal'' (August 12, 2020). The report also found morale problems at the embassy attributable to Johnson's conduct, including his suggestions that embassy employees were disloyal to Trump, questioning of embassy staff's motives, and suggestions that he would remove embassy staff from their jobs for raising concerns. The report found that "This caused staff to grow wary of providing him with their best judgment." The inspector general's office recommended that the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and Office of Civil Rights coordinate an investigation into Johnson's conduct, "and based on the results of the review, take appropriate action"; however, the department's leadership indicated that they would not open any "formal assessment" and indicated that Johnson had instead watched a State Department video on workplace harassment. Johnson denied that he had "treated employees with disrespect or discriminated in any way" and denied making any inappropriate comments. In January 2021, an investigation by the State Department's Office of Civil Rights found that the allegations that Johnson had made inappropriate comments about race and gender were "unsubstantiated".

British Open at Trump Turnberry

In February 2018, Johnson as ambassador sought to have the lucrative

British Open The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later ...

golf tournament moved to Trump's Turnberry Golf Resort in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, raising the idea with

Secretary of State for Scotland The secretary of state for Scotland ( gd, Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba; sco, Secretar o State fir Scotland), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the Unit ...

David Mundell. The ''New York Times'' reported, and the former deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in London

Lewis Lukens Lewis Alan Lukens is a retired American diplomat who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. His final assignment was as Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in London. Early life and education Lukens was born on Dec ...

later confirmed, that Trump had asked Johnson to seek British government influence in obtaining the Open for Turnberry.Chris Ryan
Former U.S. official details Jets' Woody Johnson's request to have U.K. move British Open to Trump's resort
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com (August 6, 2020). At the time Lukens warned Johnson not to raise the question with the UK government, saying that an attempt to further the president's personal financial interests in this way would be unethical and probably illegal. Johnson did so anyway, unsuccessfully. In a statement, the British government said that Johnson "made no request of Mr. Mundell regarding the British Open or any other sporting event"; the statement did not say whether Johnson had raised the subject of Turnberry. Johnson did not deny the episode, saying only that he complied with "the ethical rules and requirements of my office"; Trump denied that he had ever spoken to Johnson "about Turnberry." Lukens documented his concerns to State Department officials. Johnson forced out Lukens several months later, before the scheduled end of his tenure in London. The report that Johnson used his position as ambassador to promote the president's personal business interests sparked an inquiry by the State Department inspector general's office. In an interview in August 2020, Lukens said that the inspector general's report had halted without a public report being issued, which he considered unusual.

Personal life

President Trump & the First Lady's Trip to Europe (41574867950) (cropped)

In 1977, Johnson married former fashion model Nancy Sale Johnson. They had three children before divorcing in 2001. In early 2010, daughter Casey Johnson died of

diabetic ketoacidosis Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes mellitus. Signs and symptoms may include vomiting, abdominal pain, deep gasping breathing, increased urination, weakness, confusion and occasionally loss of ...

. He started a research foundation, the Alliance for Lupus Research, after his daughter Jaime was found to have lupus. In 2009, Johnson married Suzanne Ircha Johnson, a former actress and equities managing director at Sandler O'Neill & Partners. They have two children. Suzanne's father emigrated from Ternopil, Ukraine after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, and her mother was a first-generation

Ukrainian American Ukrainian Americans ( uk, Українські американці, Ukrayins'ki amerykantsi) are Americans who are of Ukrainian ancestry. According to U.S. census estimates, in 2021 there were 1,017,586 Americans of Ukrainian descent represent ...

. She grew up in a Ukrainian neighbourhood in Greenwich Village. Johnson has homes in Bedminster Township, New Jersey, and Manhattan, New York City. Johnson has resided in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intrac ...

, since 2020.

Philanthropy

Johnson is known for philanthropic contributions to medical research, especially for

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

and

lupus Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Commo ...

, two diseases affecting his family members. Johnson also lobbied to increase federal funding for research on the two conditions. Johnson is also a trustee of the Robert Wood Johnson Jr. Charitable Trust and was a trustee of the

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is an American philanthropic organization. It is the largest one focused solely on health. Based in Princeton, New Jersey, the foundation focuses on access to health care, public health, health equi ...

. Johnson was the chairman of the

Juvenile Diabetes Foundation JDRF is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that funds type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, provides a broad array of community and activist services to the T1D population and actively advocates for regulation favorable to medical research and approval ...

. He and his wife became involved with diabetes charities after his daughter Casey was diagnosed with diabetes in 1988. In 1994, he co-wrote the book ''Managing Your Child's Diabetes'' with his wife Nancy, and Casey. As of 2000, he had donated $12 million to the foundation. Johnson was a chairman on the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is a nonprofit organization that is independent and nonpartisan. CFR is based in New York Ci ...

, and successfully lobbied Congress to approve a five-year, $750 million package for funding diabetes research in 2002. Casey died of diabetic ketoacidosis in January 2010. In a 2012

op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. ...

in ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', Johnson urged Congress to approve long-term funding for the Special Diabetes Program. Johnson is the founding chairman of the Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR). He founded the organization in 1999 after his daughter Jaime was diagnosed with lupus, and he realized that there was a lack of research in that area.

Ukraine

During the ongoing 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Johnson and his wife Suzanne, who comes from a Ukrainian background, have organized aid efforts for Ukraine. Their family visited Poland, which is the primary destination for

Ukrainian refugees Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

displaced by the crisis. While in Poland, they made visits to community centres, shelters and orphanages housing Ukrainian refugees. In an article for ''The Telegraph'', Johnson has urged the United States and the United Kingdom to take action and assist Ukraine. In April 2022, the Jets pledged a $1 million donation to Ukraine, to be distributed in monthly instalments of $100,000 to various Ukrainian organizations. The first organization to receive money from the fund was Plast Scouting USA, a Ukrainian

scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth Social movement, movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hik ...

organization working to provide first aid and medical supplies during the war.

United24 United24 () is a Ukrainian government-run platform launched on 5 May 2022 to raise money for Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War. History On 3 May 2022, the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal announced that a platform for fundraising in su ...

, a fundraising initiative created by Ukrainian president

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, ; russian: Владимир Александрович Зеленский, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelenskyy, (born 25 January 1978; also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy) is a Ukrainian politicia ...

, was another beneficiary. In August 2022, the Jets announced plans to raise awareness for Ukraine's humanitarian crisis during their Week 3 match against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

on September 25, including adding Ukrainian flag decals to their helmets. The Jets will also paint the Ukrainian flag onto each

end zone The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field. ...

at the

MetLife Stadium MetLife Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 5 mi (8 km) west of New York City. Opened in 2010 to replace Giants Stadium, it serves as the home for the New York Giants a ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Woody 1947 births Living people 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople Ambassadors of the United States to the United Kingdom American chief executives of professional sports organizations American sports businesspeople Businesspeople from New Jersey Businesspeople in the pharmaceutical industry New Jersey Republicans New York Jets owners People from Bedminster, New Jersey People from New Brunswick, New Jersey Woody Sportspeople from Somerset County, New Jersey Trump administration personnel University of Arizona alumni People from Palm Beach, Florida 21st-century American diplomats Florida Republicans