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On January 17, Matt Higgins, the New York Jets’ executive vice president of business operations, announced he was leaving the organization to pursue other interests.
And now it looks like another prominent Jets’ executive from the business side is following him out the door.
“Thad Sheely is going to resign in the next week or two,” according to a source close to the Jets.
Sheely is the executive vice president of development and finance. He has been with the Jets for over 11 years.
Sheely has a lot of power in the Jets organization. On the business side, Higgins and Sheely, were Woody Johnson’s right hand men, for years.
According to an NFL source, the reason Higgins left was he was tired of the meddling of Ira Axelrad, the President of the Johnson Company, which manages Woody Johnson’s money.
So why is Sheely leaving?
According to the source, Jets’ owner Woody Johnson has become difficult to work for over the last few months.
The source said Woody has lost “a little perspective.”
“The way the season ended, with the collapse of the Jets, and the whole run by the Giants, he went berserk,” said the source. “With the two AFC Championship appearances made him lose a little perspective.”
According to the source, the Jets complex in Florham Park has become a tough place to work, and there is a bad “general feeling and tone” in the building.
The source says Sheely isn’t happy with the scene, and barring a last second change of heart, is going to follow Higgins out the door.
The name Thad Sheely might not be that well known, but this is big news in the world of the Jets. He has been a very important figure in Jets organization for many years.
Look for long-time Jets’ executive Robert “Bob” Parente (the organization’s longest tenured employee) to fill the Higgins-Sheely void on the business side.
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