Cowboys legend Jimmy Johnson says exactly what most of us are thinking regarding Bill Belichick controversy
The iconic Dallas Cowboys coach is sounding off on the Hall of Fame’s shocking decision on Bill Belichick.
I’m looking at the headline I just typed and even though it is technically a controversy, it feels like most of the NFL world is on the same boat here. That includes Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson.
I’m talking, of course, about the Pro Football Hall of Fame deciding not to enshrine former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on his first year on the ballot. The decision was a flabbergasting one, as Belichick’s six Super Bowl wins as head coach parlayed with his second place in the all-time win list made him a virtual lock to go as a first-ballot.
Jimmy Johnson, a Hall of Famer himself, took to social media to say exactly what most of the NFL world is thinking following the decision, and he didn’t hold back.
Jimmy Johnson goes off on Belichick controversy
Johnson made a very specific request that is only fair: Let us know who didn’t vote for Belichick’s induction.
“I would like to know the names of the (expletive) who did not vote for (Belichick),” Johnson wrote on a social media post. They are too cowardly to identify themselves.”
Johnson isn’t alone in his wish. The decision left many people flabbergasted to the point of someone building a Google spreadsheet to track down voters who didn’t vote for Belichick. Hall of Fame votes are annonymous but some are revealing their votes online, probably to distance themselves from such an outlandish decision.
At the time of this writing, 15 of 50 voters who voted for Belichick have been identified.
Clarifying earlier reports, ESPN indicated Bill Polian did vote for Belichick.
Johnson’s reaction is only fair
We’re talking about Bill freaking Belichick here. Of course he should have been inducted on his first year of eligibility. The dude won six Super Bowls as head coach and another two as an assistant coach. He did so across two decades and each time with very different Patriots teams.
He was one of the fathers of match coverage defense, a staple in any team’s defensive playbook nowadays. His strategy was consistently outstanding over the years. And like it or not, he helped Tom Brady build a career that culminated in GOAT status, regardless of who you think did more to win those Super Bowls.
Many are pointing toward Spygate and Deflategate as the biggest reason for Belichick being asked to wait for at least one more year. But here’s a reminder: Deflategate has been consistently disproven to the point of ESPN apologizing for its coverage of the scandal years later. Oh, the same happened with Spygate by the way! Just read this excerpt from an official apology letter from the Boston Herald:
“On Feb. 2, 2008, the Boston Herald reported that a member of the New England Patriots’ video staff taped the St. Louis Rams’ walkthrough on the day before Super Bowl XXXVI. While the Boston Herald based its Feb. 2, 2008, report on sources that it believed to be credible, we now know that this report was false, and that no tape of the walkthrough ever existed.”
For the Pro Football Hall of Fame, credibility is at stake. At this point, it’s in their best interest to leak who voted for Belichick and most importantly, who didn’t.
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