Darren Woodson #28 | Jed Jacobsohn/GettyImages
It was no surprise that the Dallas Cowboys did not take home any hardware at the NFL Honors on Thursday night. However, many believed that Darren Woodson would buck that trend when the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 was revealed.
For reasons that continue to make zero sense, Woodson was once again left out of Canton. A three-time Super Bowl champion with the Cowboys, Woodson was a finalist for the third time in his 17th year of eligibility.
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The four-man class included Jared Allen, Sterling Sharpe, Antonio Gates and Eric Allen. It’s the smallest Hall of Fame class since 2005. While Gates was a slam-dunk induction in his second year on the ballot, Woodson had a strong case to make it over the three other inductees.
Woodson should have had a bust in Canton a long time ago. It is a travesty and embarrassing on the Pro Football Hall of Fame that he was once again denied entry. While Woodson knows his worth, this snub in particualr was hard to take.
Cowboys legend Darren Woodson reacts to egregious Hall of Fame snub
“I got to deal with it. It is what it is. It sucks,” Woodson said, via Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I wish I could walk in and grab that gold jacket. It’s painful, it really is. You got to get back on the plane. People say it’s not failure, but it is. It’s not in my control, but I feel like it’s failure.”
“The hardest thing is my family. [But] my son needs to see his dad fail. That’s life. I’m going through it and my family is going through it as well.”
That is absolutely heartbreaking.
It is surprising that Eric Allen and Sterling Sharpe made their way in. Allen in particular only made six Pro Bowls, one All-Pro team and never won a Super Bowl.
If we’re stacking resumes, Woodson made five Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro three times in addition to winning three Super Bowls. While Woodson took a backseat to other Cowboys superstars during the team’s dynastic run in the 1990s, he was every bit as crucial to their success.
Woodson was a Swiss-Army knife on Dallas’ dominant defense. He played both safety spots, nickel linebacker and even moonlighted as a nickel cornerback.
It’s possible that versatility is working against him as he may lack counting stats at one position or another. If that is the case, it is completely illogical and a slap in the face to one of the best safeties in NFL history. Woodson was instrumental to how Dallas played defense when they rattled off three Super Bowl titles in five years.
As a finalist the last three years, Woodson will be a Hall of Famer at some point. But he should have gotten in years ago. Voters should be embarrassed.
