Former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman was clearly emotional — as plenty of people were — as he watched coach Jimmy Johnson learn the news he was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on live television Sunday.
He hopes there’s another, more local celebration in the future.
Via the Dallas Morning News, Aikman said during his weekly appearance on 1310 The Ticket that he hoped Johnson would eventually find a place in the team’s Ring of Honor .
To date, he’s not in it, and it’s not hard to draw a line from the pride of owner Jerry Jones and the way their association fell apart after a pair of Super Bowl titles in 1992 and 1993.
“He’s going to go in. At some point, Jimmy Johnson will be in the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor,” Aikman said. “I just hope it’s when they’re both alive. It’s a moment that players want, and more importantly, it’s a moment I think the fans want. . . .
“[Johnson] going into the Hall of Fame and then not being in the Ring of Honor I think probably brings about a perception — although, probably not a wrong one — that Jerry probably doesn’t want. So, I would think [Johnson going into the Ring of Honor] will happen pretty soon, and I look forward to it when it does.”
Perhaps Johnson’s induction in Canton — a club where Jones recently gained membership himself — will provided a moment of grace, where old arguments fade and the right thing can happen. They were together there in 2017, when Johnson was presenting former Dolphins star Jason Taylor, and Jones was being inducted. Seeing them stand together in Dallas would clearly mean something to Aikman and many others.