Former Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach, and now NBC analyst Tony Dungy s in the NFL community’s crosshairs yet again. Already having made a name for himself with his anti-LGBTQ+ stance, he is again making headlines. This time, it’s for his anti-abortion stance, and for making some weird comparisons between abortion and Damar Hamlin.
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The Hall of Famer safety coached in the NFL for 13 years with the Colts and the Bucs. In those 13 years, he’s only ever missed making the playoffs twice, making him a force to be reckoned with. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016 and is also the only African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl. He truly does have an extraordinary athletic record, one that has given him a lot of influence.
However, he seems to be more interested in using his influence in anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ+ rallies. Recently, he tried to push forward a hurtful conspiracy theory aimed at non-binary students in schools. The severe backlash he received forced him to delete his tweet and issue an apology. However, he did not waver from his stance, as soon after, he gave a speech at an anti-abortion rally.
Speaking at a March for Life rally in Washington, D.C. on Friday, he made a rather strange comparison between Hamlins’ situation and being anti-abortion. Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during the Buffalo Bills’ week 17 clash against the Cincinnati Bengals. Thanks to some life-saving interventions by medics on the field, the situation did not deteriorate further.
“People wanted to see that life saved,” Dungy said about the situation. “These are people who aren’t necessarily religious; they got together and called on God. Well, that should be encouraging us because that’s exactly why we’re here. Because every day in this country, innocent lives are at stake. The only difference is they don’t belong to a famous athlete, and they’re not seen on national TV.”
Tony Dungy: A life of service marred by a few distasteful choices
Tony Dungy isn’t the evil, maniacal character many would think of when thinking of anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion activists. In fact, during his successful athletic career, he has often taken the time to help communities in need. Although he prioritizes his Christian belief above everything else, he’s been a major participant in community programs in cities he’s been in as a coach.
At one point in his career, Dungy even considered leaving the NFL to join the prison ministry. True to his nature, after retiring from football, he helped former Falcons QB Michael Vick through his federal indictments. After Vick served his sentence, Dungy also worked to get him on a roster, finally succeeding with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Back in 2014, after the St. Louis Rams had signed Michael Sam, the NFL’s first openly gay player, Dungy said that he would not have drafted Sam if he had the chance. According to him, he had no bad blood with Sam, nor did not wish him well in his career. Dungy simply did not want to deal with the media coverage. His words led to fans raining heavy criticism on him, but it changed very little.
In short, Dungy has led quite a life. Even though he has helped many along the way, the few dark sides he has have nullified his good deeds in many eyes. Whether or not his stances will affect his role with the NBC network is still a mystery. However, one can be sure that the fans will clamor for his head one day or the other. It is only a matter of time before it happens.
