By Michael Ventura
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — Jets owner Woody Johnson is flipping mad over a decision by the NFL to award the opening game at New Meadowlands Stadium to the New York Giants.
Both teams will call the stadium home, but the NFL decided who would have the first game by a coin flip. After word of the decision was released on Monday, Johnson issued a statement blasting the league and Commissioner Roger Goodell
"An NFL coin toss has a few fundamental elements that are missing here, most notably the presence of the teams involved," Johnson said in the statement posted on the Jets' Web site. "That's how it's always done in the league, whether it's determining the order of the draft or deciding who's going to kick off the game."
A source told the Daily News that Johnson was "outraged" by the way the decision was made.
The statement said that Goodell had decided that the fairest way to resolve the home opener issue was to have both the Jets and the Giants host games during the opening weekend of the season, with one team playing Sunday and the other hosting Monday Night Football.
When an agreement couldn't be reached on which team would play first, the NFL flipped the coin and then informed the teams of the decision.
Johnson also that the coin flip idea was originally his idea, but that it was initially rejected by the NFL.
"When the issue of which team would be hosting the first regular-season game could not be resolved on the merits, I suggested a coin toss as the fairest way to resolve this issue," he said in the statement. "The league rejected that idea. Then, I was told on Friday that a coin toss had taken place at the league office and that the Jets had lost."
The NFL did not respond to Johnson's remarks.
A source told the New York Post that the Jets are expected to host a Thanksgiving game this coming season.
