When Marty Schottenheimer took over as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989, he brought in a staff that would go on to leave a lasting imprint on NFL sidelines. Among those assistants was Tony Dungy, who would later lead the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl XLI title.
Part of that Colts staff? Offensive line guru Howard Mudd-who, as it turns out, was also part of Schottenheimer’s original crew in Kansas City.
That connection between Dungy and Mudd likely started right there in the heartland.
Fast forward to today, and Mudd’s name is back in the headlines-albeit in an unexpected way.
The Hall of Fame conversation around Bill Belichick has been heating up, especially after reports surfaced that he didn’t receive the required 80% of votes from the Hall of Fame committee in his first year of eligibility. That’s a stunning development for a coach who won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and redefined what a dynasty looks like in the modern NFL.
According to ESPN, former NFL executive Bill Polian-who once ran the Bills and Colts, two of New England’s fiercest rivals during their run-was among the voters. One anonymous voter reportedly claimed that Polian suggested Belichick should "wait a year" before being inducted, citing Spygate as the reason. That 2007 scandal, which cost the Patriots a first-round pick, involved the team being caught videotaping Jets coaches on the sideline to capture their signals.
That didn’t sit well with former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson, who chimed in on social media with a pointed take. Johnson, who won two Super Bowls with Dallas, didn’t just defend Belichick-he went a step further, offering up a bit of behind-the-scenes history that raised more than a few eyebrows.
“If they are using the EXCUSE of Spygate that’s ridiculous… many teams (including ourselves) tried it,” Johnson posted on X. “Howard Mudd at Kansas City, who later coached for Bill Polian and Tony Dungy, gave us the idea… he was the best… we didn’t get anything and stopped but many teams gave it a try.”
That’s a bombshell, not just because it adds context to the broader conversation around signal-stealing in the NFL, but because it implicates a well-respected coach in Mudd-someone widely regarded as one of the best offensive line minds the game has seen. Mudd passed away in 2020, so he’s not here to respond or clarify. And Johnson didn’t get specific about whether Mudd was talking about signal-stealing in general or actual videotaping, which is where the NFL drew a hard line with Spygate.
Still, Johnson’s comment adds a layer of nuance to the Spygate debate. It suggests that signal-stealing-at least in some form-wasn’t exactly a rare or isolated tactic during that era. That doesn’t excuse what happened in 2007, but it does raise questions about how widespread the practice may have been and whether Belichick is being held to a different standard.
At the heart of this is a bigger question: Should the Hall of Fame be a place that judges character and controversy, or should it focus solely on football excellence? Belichick’s résumé is unmatched. But if past controversies are going to delay his induction, it opens the door for a broader conversation-one that, thanks to Johnson’s post, now includes names and stories that had never been part of the public record.
It’s a reminder that NFL history is often more complicated than the headlines suggest. And as the Hall of Fame debate rages on, it’s clear we haven’t heard the last of it.