The New York Jets begin the 2025-26 campaign with a home contest against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, leading up to kickoff, the organization honored an NFL employee who was injured in the tragic shooting that took place at league offices during the offseason.
Reports indicate that the Jets named Craig Clementi the team's honorary captain for Sunday's game, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. Clementi was injured while informing his coworkers not to leave the floor because there was an active shooter in the building.
“Jets' honorary captain is Craig Clementi, the NFL employee who was injured in the tragic shooting at 345 Park. Clementi, a longtime fan of the team, alerted coworkers to not leave the floor because there was an active shooter.”
The tragic shooting incident took place in late July. Clementi was said to be seriously injured. Four lives were lost, including a New York police officer who was off duty that day. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a memo regarding Clementi's status after the shooting almost immediately after it happened, per ESPN.
“One of our employees was seriously injured in this attack. He is currently in the hospital and in stable condition,” Goodell wrote in a memo. “NFL staff are at the hospital and we are supporting his family. We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for, and the building has nearly been cleared.”
The Jets will hope to begin the season 1-0 with Craig Clementi in attendance as the honorary captain. But New York has a tough matchup against a Steelers team with a ton of potential.
