Jets owner Woody Johnson violated the NFL’s tampering rules today when he made comments about wanting Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis to return to New York. Now Johnson is trying to walk back those comments.
In a statement issued by the team, Johnson said he hadn’t meant to say what he said about Revis.
“I misspoke today when I commented on Darrelle Revis,” Johnson said. “I would never interfere in the contractual relationship of a player with another team and should not have used those words. I called Robert Kraft this afternoon to emphasize those points.”
It remains to be seen whether Kraft has accepted Johnson’s explanation, and it remains to be seen whether the league office has anything to say about Johnson’s comments. But Johnson appears to have learned a valuable lesson: It’s best to keep your mouth shut when it comes to talking about a player under contract to another team.