Woody Johnson
Woody Johnson

Jersey Jets fumble again. This time it’s not the infamous butt fumble, but a PR one.

Woody Johnson, owner of the godawful football team, shocked the NFL by firing head coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8. It was the first time in 24 years that Woody canned a head coach in mid-season.

Johnson claimed the decision to sack Saleh was a difficult one that required a lot of “soul searching.” C’mon, Woody. You've had eight head coaches and five general managers. And the result: the Jets haven’t made the playoffs in 13 years, the longest drought in the NFL and tied for the longest in the four major North American professional sports.

Woody should be the one responsible for the team’s woes. Is it possible for fans to fire the owner?

Saleh’s team chalked up a 2 and 3 record this year. Two of the losses were at the hands of the NFC’s reigning champion San Francisco 49s and the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings, who are led by the former Jets quarterback, 27-year-old Sam Darnold.

The mediocre Jets are led by ancient mariner Aaron Rodgers, a 40-year-old has-been trying to recover from a ruptured Achilles tendon that occurred on the fourth play from scrimmage last year.

The QB isn't too happy these days as Woody on Oct. 10 demoted offensive coordinator Nathanel Hackett. He was Rodgers coach at the Green Bay Packers from 2019 to 2021.

The Jets play in the lousy AFC East division. If they beat the Buffalo Bills on Monday, the Jets will be tied for first. Woody’s firing of Saleh is an unneeded distraction ahead of a big game. It’s just another sign of the team’s dysfunction under Johnson.

Donald Trump’s disgraceful dissemination of lies about FEMA’s Hurricane Helene efforts shows wanton disregard for the communities that are upended by the disaster.

At a Pennsylvania rally, Trump said of FEMA.

They’re offering them $750, to people whose homes have been washed away. And yet we send tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of. They’re offering them $750.

Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards, who represents heavily-impacted western North Carolina, is setting the record straight. He issued a press release and sent an email blast to constituents, saying $750 is just an immediate upfront payment to cover basic needs.

Survivors are eligible to apply for additional assistance for housing and home repairs up to $42,500.

Edwards reminded people that everything they see on Facebook, X or other social media platforms is not always fact. He urged them to fact-check online with a reputable source.

What does it say for a country when the biggest spreader of misinformation may be its next president?

Pittsburgh’s ‘Patriarch of PR’ passes away. Bob Butter, who co-founded Pittsburgh’s Veritas Communications Advisors in 2004, died on Oct. 6 from complications from brain surgery. He was 68.

He is remembered for helping to deal with the media avalanche following the terror attack on the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27, 2018.

“We were getting multiple requests every day locally, nationally and internationally,” Tree of Life rabbi Jeffrey Myers told The Trib website. “Bob and I became close and my respect for him grew immensely. He always had the right answers.”

Myers would make a daily call to Butter for comfort and advice. “He was a part of my life and to say he was a beautiful human being is an understatement,” he said.

Roman Catholic Butter referred to Myers as his rabbi.

Butter was “the patriarch of PR,” said Saul Markowitz, whose Markowitz Communications, worked with Veritas on the Tree of Life account. “If you look in the dictionary under public relations, his picture would pop up,” he said. “This is such a loss.”

Butter’s death is a loss for all of the PR community