Outside of the game itself, one of the biggest components of the circus that is Super Bowl week is the announcement of the newest inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Class of 2026 features five deserving enshrinees, with quarterback Drew Brees, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Luke Kuechly, and kicker Adam Vinatieri being selected from the group of 15 finalists in the Modern-Era Players category, and running back Roger Craig earning the lone selection of those in the Seniors category.
Among the 11 not to earn the necessary 80 percent of the vote in the Modern-Era category was legendary Dallas Cowboys safety Darren Woodson, who's been named a finalist in each of the last four years but obviously still hasn't gotten in. And longtime teammate and fellow Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith certainly isn't happy about it.
Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith calls for every HOF voter to reveal their ballots
When asked his thoughts on the Class of 2026, the NFL's all-time leading rusher certainly didn't hold back during a mini-rant in which he called for every HOF voter to reveal their ballots, as he can't understand how Woodson has yet to be inducted. Like most others, Smith also couldn't comprehend how Bill Belichick failed to make the cut as well.
"The Hall of Fame is trippin'," Smith said. "What needs to happen is everybody who voted to keep Belichick out and to keep Darren Woodson out, all their votes need to be revealed, and who they are. They need to go through the same scrutiny that all players go through every day of our lives when we play the game of football and have to answer the questions. They need to be answering these questions.
"For Darren Woodson to be sent here, not going in, it's a crying shame. No disrespect to Roger Craig, one of the reasons why we're here in San Francisco, and they got to put somebody in for local. I want to know all of the buttwipes that voted against Belichick and also voted against Darren Woodson. I want to know who they are. I want to know why they voted that way."
The little dig at Craig may not have been necessary, but as someone who once sat with Smith for a lengthy interview, I can tell you that his disdain for the San Francisco 49ers still remains after all these years. But I digress.
Like Smith, Woodson was part of the Cowboys' three Super Bowl-winning teams in the 1990s and built an impressive individual resume during his 12-year NFL career, all of which was spent with America's Team, earning five trips to the Pro Bowl and three First-Team All-Pro selections, while also becoming the franchise's all-time leader in tackles.
For those who buy into Pro Football Reference's Hall of Fame Monitor, which is a metric designed to estimate a player's chances of making it to Canton, Woodson's score is higher than those of the likes of fellow safety John Lynch, who was inducted in 2021, and cornerback Eric Allen, who received his bust just last year.
Despite the disappointment, Woodson was all class when discussing missing out on a gold jacket for a fourth straight year.
"You know, I don't take shots at the voting process… I just don't," Woodson said. "There's just a code of the process at hand. Like, you get a call, and they tell you, you made it or didn't make it. You basically just adhere to that code. Whoever does get in, they should be honored. ... If you don't get in, it sucks. But you still honor the guys who did make it. We should be celebrating those guys."
Also among those that failed to earn induction was longtime Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, who was in his first year on the ballot.
With 1,228 receptions, good for the fourth-most in NFL history, and 13,046 career receiving yards, good for 22nd all-time and second among tight ends, trailing only Tony Gonzalez, Witten will undoubtedly earn induction at some point.
But one can bet that if he doesn't get his call sooner rather than later that Emmitt Smith will publicly have his back as well.