Donald Trump must be feeling nostalgic about one of the most disappointing teams in Jets franchise history, the 2008 squad. The president has now played golf with two members of the team in less than a month.
Three weeks ago, he hit the links with Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, who played only the '08 season with Gang Green. Saturday, he played a round with Jay Feely, the kicker on that team, at Trump's club in Bedminster, N.J.
Had the distinct honor to play golf today with @POTUS and be his partner!
— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) August 15, 2020
Truly enjoyed talking about our families, politics and his earnest desires for our great country.
he’s still got game. pic.twitter.com/h25q446Stb
Favre was supposed to be the catalyst to a deep Jets playoff run 12 years ago. New York acquired him in an August trade with the Packers after he and Green Bay had agreed to a divorce. He led the Jets to an 8-3 record after 11 games. They had a one-game lead in a loaded AFC East.
They proceeded to lose four of their final five games, and only a fourth-quarter defensive touchdown vs. the Bills in Week 15 prevented an oh-fer. Favre had two touchdowns and nine interceptions in that stretch.
The final insult came in Week 17 when Favre's predecessor in New Jersey, Chad Pennington, came back to the Meadowlands with the Dolphins, eliminated the Jets from the playoffs and clinched the division title for Miami.
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Feely had a good season: He was 24 for 28 on field-goal attempts and 39 for 39 on PAT tries. He returned to the Jets in 2009 before joining the Cardinals.
Following the collapse, the Jets fired coach Eric Mangini, replaced him with Rex Ryan and traded up to draft Mark Sanchez.
Trump's original plans for Saturday included baseball: a trip to Yankee Stadium to throw out the first pitch of a Red Sox-Yankees game. He scapped that idea not long after he announced it, saying he needed to devote all his energies to solving the COVID-19 crisis and related matters.
When Saturday rolled around, he paired up with Feely, who is an excellent golfer, before holding a news conference.
Trump has deeper ties with Jets, of course: team co-owner Woody Johnson is the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. Johnson has been in the news of late: He has been denying allegations he has made racist and sexist remarks during his tenure as ambassador.
