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NFL legend Jimmy Johnson has no plans to be at 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, which ESPN reported Tuesday night. The former Dallas Cowboys head coach and Super Bowl winner lashed out at voters Wednesday in several social media posts.
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Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Class member Jimmy Johnson, right, poses with host 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 took another step.
Johnson stated on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he will not appear in Canton, Ohio, this year for the festivities.
“I thought it was going to be automatic, so I chartered a plane and I was going to go there. Screw that, I’m not going this year,” he said. “I love football. Now that I’m retired from FOX, I have four TVs set up, 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.
BILL BELICHICK’S HALL OF FAME snub is ‘GREAT’, SAYS ROB GRONKOWSKI
Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots watches during 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 of the players don’t get in, it doesn’t bother me too much. But for a great football coach not to get out on the first ballot, that was bad.”
Belichick needed 40 votes to enter the Hall of Fame on 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 the ballot.
The class of 2026 won’t be officially revealed until next week before Super Bowl LX. Belichick was among the candidates in a separate group in the modern era players category along with Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, LC Greenwood and Robert Kraft.
Belichick was “bewildered” and “disappointed” with the decision and wondered what else he needed to do as a head coach to come in immediately, ESPN reported.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spins his whistle during an NFL football practice, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
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“Politics kept him out. He doesn’t think this is a reflection of his accomplishments,” another source told the outlet.
