Tony Dungy is a prominent NFL analyst on NBC who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a 13-year coaching career that included winning a Super Bowl. And he was a popular player before that.
But as Cyd Zeigler, co-founder of Outsports.com in a two-part series this week, “Dungy (is) possibly the , raising money to fight against same-sex marriage, and since then publicly decrying the homosexuality of gay athletes and partnering with rabidly anti-gay organizations and individuals.”
Zeigler noted that Dungy’s anti-LGBTQ reputation had been well-established before NBC hired him as a primetime analyst. “Through it all, NBC has stood by their man, saying nothing about his anti-LGBT bigotry that he himself has said is rooted in his Christian beliefs. True to form, NBC declined to comment for this story.”
Zeigler’s expose of Dungy was amplified today by John Casey, editor-at-large of the Advocate, in a piece “Tony Dungy and When Someone You Admire Turns Out to Be a Homophobe.”
Casey wrote that the most troubling aspect of Dungy was his friendship with right-wing Christian nationalist Pastor Andrew Wommack, one of the nation’s most vicious anti-LGBTQ haters. He noted that Dungy has even appeared as a speaker at Wommack’s events.
Casey is a passionate fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, for which Dungy started his career as a player. But Casey says he’s seen the light.
“I’m dumping Dungy into the dustbin of the NFL’s worst-moments history until he apologizes for all the vindictiveness toward me, a devoted Steelers fan, and my community.”
And he added this:
“Dungy will be calling the Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars wild-card game on NBC Saturday. As a football fan, I want to watch. But as a gay man, I can’t watch — or listen — if Dungy is broadcasting. I won’t hear the words coming out of his mouth; instead, when he opens his mouth, all I will hear is hate.”
No such thing as homophobia… it’s not a ‘phobia’ to be against mental illness…
Tony Dungy is a Christian man and should be able to hold to his belief. Opposites are able to hold to their beliefs and we have to tolerate them.
jesus said–the world hastiest me and they will hate you also.
Tony Dunghy couldn’t be a nicer gentleman. His religious beliefs about homosexuality are in line with the vast majority of people on this planet. The term homophobia is a total misnomer as people who tell the truth about homosexuality have no fear of this lifestyle choice but rather chose to live their lives without placing their sexuality at the forefront of everything. People who live their lives without the constant reference to sexuality are normal. People who feel the need to remind everyone about their sexual preference suffer from a mental illness. Those who seek to deny freedom of opinion need to look at themselves and leave others alone.