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NFL legend Jimmy Johnson has no plans to attend Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremonies this year after Bill Belichick was left out of the Class of 2026 the first time he appeared on the ballot.
Johnson was among those outraged by the omission, reported by ESPN on Tuesday evening. The former Dallas Cowboys head coach and Super Bowl winner ripped into voters Wednesday in various social media posts.
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Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Class member Jimmy Johnson, right, poses with presenter Troy Aikman during the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony on August 7, 2021 in Canton, Ohio. (Ron Schwane-Pool/Getty Images)
Then he went further.
Johnson said on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he would not be in Canton, Ohio, this year for the festivities.
“I thought it was going to be an automatic, so I chartered a jet, I was going to go. To hell with it, I’m not going this year,” he said. “I love football. Now that I’m retired from FOX, I’ve set up four TVs, I have 12 hours on Saturday, 12 hours on Sunday, no one comes in the room. I only leave the room to get some food.
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Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots watches the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on October 15, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Chris Unger/Getty Images)
“I love football and I appreciate greatness. And that’s what you had with Bill Belichick – greatness. And I’m a coach. If some players don’t get in, it doesn’t bother me much. But for a great football coach to not go in the first round, that was a mistake.”
Belichick needed 40 votes to enter the Hall of Fame in the first ballot. He won six Super Bowl titles as head coach of the New England Patriots and two more as an assistant with the New York Giants under Bill Parcells.
At least one voter revealed why he was excluded from his ballot.
The class of 2026 won’t be officially revealed until next week, closer to Super Bowl LX. Belichick was among the candidates in a separate group in the modern era player category with Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, LC Greenwood and Robert Kraft.
Belichick was “puzzled” and “disappointed” by the decision and wondered what more he needed to do as a head coach to get in immediately, ESPN reported.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick blows his whistle during an NFL football practice Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, file)
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“Politics has kept him away. He doesn’t think it reflects his achievements,” another source told the outlet.
