A new report claims that Woody Johnson, who owns the NFL team the New York Jets, has used EA’s popular Madden video game series to help him make decisions involving real players. It’s even reported that a trade deal was killed due to stats found in the game.
EA’s Madden NFL series has been around for decades and has always strived to be a realistic and accurate simulation of American football. As consoles have become more powerful, the Madden series has become more advanced and photorealistic. Online support also means EA and Madden’s devs can update player stats as the season goes on. All of this is to say that Madden is a very good simulation of the NFL and its players. It’s so good that Johnson has reportedly used the game’s data when making decisions.
On December 19, The Athletic reported that during the last NFL offseason, a trade deal between the Jets and the Denver Broncos was close to being finished until owner Johnson vetoed the plan. According to multiple sources, the owner canceled the deal to pick up wide receiver Jerry Jeudy because the player had a low rating in Madden. Jeudy would be picked up by the Cleveland Browns and had a fantastic season.
The outlet reports that this isn’t the only time Johnson has relied on Madden when making decisions. The Jets owner pushed back on the team signing free-agent John Simpson due to his low “Awareness” rating in EA’s sports sim. The Jets signed him anyway and he had a good season.
According to some sources who spoke to the outlet, the use of Madden in decision-making is a sign that Johnson’s teenage sons have too much influence.
“When we’re discussing things, you’ll hear Woody cite something that Brick or Jack read online that’s being weighed equally against whatever opinion someone else in the department has,” a Jets executive told The Athletic.
“It’s really sad that an adult would use a misleading anecdote about teenagers to make their father look bad. It’s ridiculous, quite honestly, the idea that this was used to influence the opinion of experienced executives,” said a Jets spokesperson.
“[The sons] have no roles in the organization. It’s completely ridiculous to suggest that any outside info is intended to replace the opinions of [Woody Johnson’s] staff.”
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