Jimmy Johnson oversaw a highly-successful era for the Cowboys, but the former Dallas coach once inflicted a cruel punishment on his players following a loss.
The two-time Super Bowl winner revealed in forthcoming Netflix docuseries ‘America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys’ that he once banned his players from eating on the team plane after a loss.
‘After that loss, we get on the plane, and I am just fuming because of the way we played. So the flight attendant starts to serve the meal. And I say, “No, no meal. They don’t deserve to eat”,’ Johnson recalled in a clip from the series, which is being released on Tuesday.
The harsh moment clearly struck a nerve with ex-players even decades later as several stars ripped Johnson for the decision.
‘We couldn’t eat man, we were starving,’ wide receiver Michael Irvin recalled.
‘He was a dictator,’ pass rusher Charles Haley added. ‘He was a a******e, and he didn’t care what guys thought about him.’
Jimmy Johnson ran a tight ship as the coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 1989-94
He explained in a new Netflix docuseries that he banned players from eating after one loss
For his part, Johnson explained why he chose to withhold the plane meal from his players.
‘I wanted ’em to expect to win every single time they go out,’ he said.
I want ’em to be nauseated, to be sick in their stomach when they lose. Because, that’s how I felt.’
While Johnson may not have been well-liked by his players at times, his methods undoubtedly bred success.
He posted a 44-36 regular season record in Dallas and – more importantly – won consecutive Super Bowls in 1993 and 1994.
Johnson later spent four seasons coaching the Dolphins (who he led to three postseason appearances) and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
The Cowboys added another Super Bowl in 1996 under coach Barry Switzer following Johnson’s departure after the 1993 season, but have struggled in the postseason since.
In fact, the team has won just five playoff games since their most recent Super Bowl win.
Aside from Johnson, Irvin and Haley, the highly-anticipated ‘America’s Team’ also features interviews with Troy Aikman , Emmitt Smith, Deion Sanders and more.
