Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones continues to leave Jimmy Johnson in limbo. Jones announced Wednesday that DeMarcus Ware will be the only person inducted into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor in 2023.
Ware, now 41, spent nine of his 12 NFL seasons with the Cowboys. He is more than deserving of the honor. Ware made six Pro Bowls and was a four-time All-Pro with the franchise. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
While Ware deserves recognition, Johnson’s absence will draw the most attention. Johnson helped lead the team to two Super Bowl titles in the ’90s. He posted a .550 winning percentage in five seasons with the team.
Johnson and Jones have not been on the best of terms since Johnson left the team after the 1993 NFL season. During the years after that split, the two publicly criticized each other. Jones criticized Johnson for being unfair and Johnson called Jones a “rich asshole“.
Things started looking up around 2017. two reunited during the 25th anniversary of the Cowboys’ Super Bowl. Jones finally admitted that ruined the relationship.
During a Fox broadcast in 2021, Jones said that Johnson one day be admitted in the Cowboys Ring of Honor. Jones appeared on the broadcast just days before Johnson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. When asked, Jones said that Johnson would eventually be a member of the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. Johnson quipped, “As long as I’m alive?”
Since then things have only gone downhill. In 2022, Johnson said he hadn’t heard anything about a possible addition. Jones defended his inaction by saying that Johnson’s “whining” was not help in your case.
Wednesday’s announcement shows that Jones will continue to do things on his own terms. Johnson may finally get the call, but one wonders if his joke about being alive when that day comes wasn’t meant to be funny.