Method Man, known for his role in Wu-Tang Clan, has been a passionate New York Jets fan since childhood

FILE - Host Method Man poses at the 2024 Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards at the Academy Museum, March 7, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Cliff Smith Jr. was still a few years away from being known as Method Man and helping Wu-Tang Clan take the hip-hop world by storm when he got hooked on what became one of his life's biggest passions.

Rooting for the New York Jets.

“I think a lot of it has to do with their colors,” Method Man told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Friday from Canada, where he's attending the Toronto International Film Festival. “I love that green and white. There's just something about it. It says we're blue collar and we came here to fight.

"I'm sorry, not sorry. I love it.”

Before the Jets' season opener Sunday against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Method Man will be among four inductees into the team's fan hall of fame — joining Michael “Hulk Hands” Gutradt, Raymond Londa and Michael Shannon — introduced to the crowd at MetLife Stadium. While he can't attend because of previous commitments, the Grammy-winning artist will be rooting from afar.

“I would much rather be there with you guys,” Method Man said with a laugh. “I said it, I don’t care. My manager's standing right there. It's real, though! And no disrespect to those guys, the people who I’m going there for their film and all that, but I would much rather be at that game.”

That's how it has always been for Method Man, a Jets fan since he was 8 and a season-ticket holder since 2012.

“I've bled with them,” he said. “I’ve had their disappointments and I’ve also had their triumphs as well.”

He's an international celebrity with a laundry list of credits as a rapper, producer, entrepreneur and actor — his latest movie, “Poetic License” directed by Maude Apatow, will premier at the film festival on Saturday. But there's something special about joining a group of people who, just like him, get fired up about the Jets.

“You know what? It’s bucket list (stuff) for me,” he said of being inducted into the team's fan hall of fame. "Anything that has to do with the Jets, from me doing the breakdown in the huddle (in training camp in 2023) for the Jets — epic. Being able to call (former defensive end) Marty Lyons a friend — even more epic. And this fan hall of fame? I got to meet (former wide receiver) Wayne Chrebet. And to be recognized just for being a fan of a team that basically breaks your hearts every year? You've got to be a real fan to put up with that.

“This is an honor, first and foremost. And it’s always good to be acknowledged.”

The 54-year-old Method Man, who grew up on Long Island and Staten Island, remembers going to Hofstra University with his youth football team to watch a Jets training camp practice — and his fandom was born. He was wide-eyed while watching “The Sack Exchange” — Lyons, Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko and Abdul Salaam — on the field.

“That was it for me,” Method Man recalled. “I thought (quarterback) Richard Todd was the coolest guy on the planet. I thought Freeman McNeil was the best running back in the league because I was in my own little bubble. Even ‘The Sack Exchange,’ we all know those guys were gladiators.”

But he still sometimes wonders, like many Jets fans, about what might have been.

— What if New York had defeated Miami in the 1982 AFC championship game, when A.J. Duhe intercepted Todd three times?: “I hate A.J. Duhe to this day.”

— What if the Jets had drafted Dan Marino in 1983 instead of Ken O'Brien?: “Imagine what he could have done with us with that defense.”

— What if Mo Lewis hadn't slammed into Drew Bledsoe during a game against New England in 2001, clearing the way for Tom Brady: “We're responsible for making Tom Brady a GOAT.”

— What if Rodgers hadn't torn his left Achilles tendon four snaps into his Jets debut in 2023: “We didn’t even get a chance to enjoy the shiny, new car. It was kind of like buying a Bentley and as soon as you pull off the lot, you get into an accident. Car's never the same again.”

The Jets enter this season with a new coach in Aaron Glenn — who played eight of his 15 NFL seasons with the franchise — and new general manager in Darren Mougey. They also have a new quarterback in Justin Fields, who's looking to rejuvenate his career.

“As a longtime Jets fan, it feels like a rebuild,” Method Man said.

Of course, though, he's rooting for the new regime and for Fields to be a winner in New York.

Method Man also wishes Rodgers well.

Except this Sunday, when he predicts a Jets victory.

“We're going to kick their (butts),” Method Man said. "I think there are some guys that are pretty upset with Aaron, so I think it’s a pride issue. And even if we don’t win, it’s going to be a hell of a battle for those guys to succeed, for Pittsburgh to get through us. And they’re going to remember this game, I’m pretty sure.

“They're our first game of the season, we’re going against our old quarterback on a new team. Yeah, I mean, it’s already written. These things write themselves.”

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