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By Jim Caltagirone
For the Mirror
One of the nation's longest-running soap operas continues to hold an audience.
It has been 28 years since Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson announced a "transition" that ended Johnson's tenure as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, but the status of their relationship remains a source of nationwide interest and entertainment.
Just prior to Johnson's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021, Jones committed to enshrining his two-time Super Bowl-winning coach in the club's Ring of Honor.
However, as a committee of one, Jones appears to be in no hurry to fulfill his pledge.
The owner's comments on the subject during a recent interview left the impression that festering grudges and jealousies are greater influences on the timing of Johnson's enshrinement into the Ring of Honor than any other factor.
"It's B.S. for anybody to be making anything of it," Jones said. "I said I'm going to put him in. Now, when I put him in and the circumstances and what I do with that, there's a lot more than Jimmy to think about here, and I've got a lot of other lives out here that have laid a lot on the line on the field that need to be in that Ring of Honor as well.
"And so, how I do that, what I do it with, I get to make that decision. And it isn't, at the end of the day, all tailored around whether Jimmy's sniveling or not."
There is obvious value in creating vehicles for recognition that are reserved for a franchise's most outstanding players, coaches and contributors.
Physical displays in stadium museums have become year-round tourist attractions. Halftime induction ceremonies inflate attendance and create lifelong memories for all involved.
The Steelers finally embraced the concept by introducing their Hall of Honor in 2017, eight years after winning their sixth Super Bowl.
If only to preserve the dignity of enshrinement in the Ring of Honor, Jones should avoid making unnecessary snide comments about Johnson in public.
In partnership, they transformed a moribund team into a dynasty that won three Super Bowls in four years.
Barry Switzer was head coach of the 1995 team that won Super Bowl XXX, but Johnson's imprint was apparent in the roster composition and style of play.
Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman contend that Dallas would have won at least five Super Bowls, if Johnson had continued coaching the team. In the end, individual pride trumped team glory.
The luster is now off Johnson's pending enshrinement in the Ring of Honor. Johnson entering the Ring after induction in Canton is like asking Neil Armstrong to fly a cargo plane after landing a spacecraft on the moon.
Jones took exception to a journalist's observation that pettiness is now viewed by many as the primary cause of the delay in scheduling the Ring ceremony for Johnson.
Since Jones is the sole arbiter on eligibility for Ring enshrinement, the logical conclusion is that Johnson's moment in the AT&T Stadium starlight has been impeded by something personal in nature.
That's ironic because the personal relationship that Jones and Johnson forged as teammates at the University of Arkansas facilitated their engagement with destiny in Dallas.
Considering everything that they achieved together, they both should feel ashamed and embarrassed that they cannot commemorate their shared success without widening the divide between them.
Jim Caltagirone resides in Altoona. He is a monthly contributor to Voice of the Fan.