Football fans won’t catch Jimmy Johnson in Canton this year.
The 82-year-old coaching legend declared Wednesday he won’t be attending the Pro Football Hall of Fame festivities in Ohio this year after Bill Belichick was not elected in his first year of eligibility.
“I thought it was gonna be an automatic, so I charted a jet, I was going to go up there. The hell with it, I’m not going this year,” Johnson said on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“… For a great football coach not to get in first-ballot, that was wrong.”
Johnson, a member of the Hall of Fame Centennial Class of 2020, railed against the voting committee after news broke Tuesday that Belichick failed to secure the 40 of 50 votes needed, despite being an eight-time Super Bowl winner and holding a record 31 postseason victories.
“I would like to know the names of the a–holes who did not vote for him..they are too cowardly to identify themselves…,” Johnson posted Tuesday on X.
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 28, 2026
The College Football Hall of Famer then urged those who did not vote for Belichick, 73, to publicly own their decision.
“PLEASE…If you did not vote for BB identify yourselves!!! Probably too much of a coward..Hide behind your SECRET BALLOT!!!” Johnson exclaimed.
Johnson isn’t alone in his cause, as others in the NFL community have called for the voters’ exposure.
Comprised largely of seasoned NFL reporters, the voting committee has come under fire in the wake of the Belichick bombshell, specifically, former Colts general manager and president Bill Polian.
ESPN reported Tuesday that Polian allegedly “told some voters he believed Belichick should ‘wait a year’ before induction as penance for Spygate.”
Belichick was punished as part of the 2007 Spygate scandal, in which the Patriots documented signals of their opponents, and was hit with a $500,000 fine. The team was also docked a draft pick.
Polian said Tuesday he voted for Belichick, but has since slightly backtracked.
Belichick, the current football coach at UNC, is said to be “puzzled” and “disappointed” over the news.
In addition to Johnson, Belichick’s former quarterback, future Hall of Famer Tom Brady, has spoken out against the “completely ridiculous” snub.
The legendary quarterback-coach duo won six championships across 20 seasons together in New England.
