FILE PHOTO - New York Jets owner Woody Johnson speaks during a news conference at the Boys and Girls Club of Newark Clubhouse in Newark, New Jersey January 27, 2014. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will nominate National Football League team owner Woody Johnson as U.S. ambassador to Britain, the White House said on Thursday.

Johnson, a billionaire investor and owner of the New York Jets, will require Senate confirmation to take up the diplomatic post. Johnson’s nomination does not come as a surprise. In January, Trump referred to Johnson as “ambassador” during remarks at a luncheon and said the NFL team owner was “going to St. James.”