Former Dallas Cowboys head coach and Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson isn't happy about Bill Belichick reportedly being snubbed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Johnson took issue with voters who held Spygate against Belichick, dropping some pretty massive revelations about how the Cowboys — and other NFL teams — operated during Johnson's time as head coach.
Johnson specifically took issue with the argument that Spygate may have played a major role in Belichick not being elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Johnson said many teams engaged in the tactic back in his days as a coach, including his Cowboys.
If they are using the EXCUSE of spygate that’s ridiculous…many teams (including ourselves) tried it..Howard Mudd at Kansas City who later coached for Bill Polian and Tony Dungy gave us the idea..he was the best..we didn’t get anything and stopped but many teams gave it a try https://t.co/ajrv5Iqq58
— Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) January 28, 2026
Johnson even revealed some of the history behind the tactic, explaining he got the idea from former NFL player-turned-coach Howard Mudd. Johnson claimed Mudd gave the Cowboys the idea to tape the other team during practice. Johnson claimed the Cowboys didn't get anything of value out of the tactic, and added that "many teams" tried it.
If the NFL knew about that tactic at the time, it didn't take action against any teams or coaches. That wasn't the case in 2007, however, as Belichick's New England Patriots came under fire for taping defensive signals from an unauthorized location during a September game against the New York Jets.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell determined the Patriots violated league rules with those tapes and fined Belichick $500,000 for his role in the tactic, which was later deemed "Spygate." The Patriots were fined $250,000 and docked a first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft as part of Goodell's punishment.
While it's unclear whether Spygate was the reason Belichick was reportedly not inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, reports suggest it may have played a major role in that decision. One voter told ESPN that it was former Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian who suggested Belichick wait a year to be inducted due to the cheating scandal. Polian's Colts were defeated by Belichick's Patriots a number of times during New England's dynasty.
Polian denied that report, saying he did not try to influence voters, adding that he voted for Belichick to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Polian later backtracked on that last claim, saying he actually wasn't sure if he voted for Belichick.
In an ironic twist, Mudd, the man who reportedly told Johnson about Spygate tactics, spent many years as an offensive line coach for Polian's Colts. Mudd served in that role from 1998 to 2009, overlapping with the year Spygate took place.
It's not the first time Johnson has spoken openly about videotaping opposing coaches. After Spygate broke, Johnson admitted it was a known tactic back in his coaching days. At the time, he maintained that he didn't see the benefits in it, though.
Belichick's snub isn't official just yet, but that hasn't stopped a number of prominent NFL voices and athletes from speaking out about the news. Patrick Mahomes, J.J. Watt and LeBron James, among many others, all took issue with the reported news, with James saying the decision was "impossible, egregious and quite frankly disrespectful."
Johnson offered a more harsh critique Tuesday evening, saying he would like to know the names of the "a**holes" who didn't vote for Belichick, adding those voters were "too cowardly to identify themselves."
