When Someone You Admire Becomes a Homophobe with Tony Dungy

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When you’ve been a die-hard fan of a sports club for years, you tend to elevate its players and stars to an unattainable pedestal.
It comes about naturally.
As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up in Pittsburgh during the 1970s, when the Steelers, the city’s NFL franchise, won four Super Bowls.
The Steelers from that era are therefore highly regarded.

It hurt when Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris, one of their biggest stars, passed away unexpectedly last month.
He wasn’t just my favourite Steeler; I got to know him and was honoured when he invited me to his Hall of Fame induction ceremony in the summer of 1990. The event included a brunch with former NFL greats and a party that night at the Pittsburgh Hilton, where I got to meet a lot of my idols from those Super Bowl teams.
Harris maintained his reputation.

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Chuck Noll, the team’s coach, was someone I also looked up to.
Tony Dungy, one of Noll’s defensive backs, impressed Noll with his leadership abilities and football expertise, so Noll started mentoring him to become a football coach, which he did.

During his 13-year coaching tenure, Dungy managed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in addition to winning a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts.
In 2016, he was inducted as a coach into the NFL Hall of Fame.

Football fans are aware that Dungy is currently a well-known NFL analyst and broadcaster on NBC.
Your blood will boil over what you don’t know about him, though.
Dungy is not a friend to our community, claims Cyd Zeigler in a two-part, in-depth article on Outsports.

“Dungy… established himself as possibly the most publicly anti-gay person in at least the recent history of the NFL,” writes Zeigler. “He raised money to fight against same-sex marriage, and since then, he has publicly decried the homosexuality of gay athletes and partnered with rabidly anti-gay organisations and individuals.”

Zeigler wrote about Dungy making homophobic remarks when Michael Sam was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the NFL and when Jason Collins came out in the NBA. I won’t repeat what he said because you should read his tale for yourself.

That Dungy is a friend and supporter of right-wing Christian nationalist Pastor Andrew Wommack, who has said that being gay is “three times worse than smoking” and that gay people “ought to put a label across their forehead, ‘This can be hazardous to your health,'” is the revelation that most worries me, at least it does for me.

Dungy has spoken at Wommack events, has supported Wommack’s ministry, and will do so once more in March at a gathering called Men’s Advance.
Among other things, Wommack’s Charis Bible College promotes anti-gay and anti-trans attitudes while claiming to have a biblical foundation for them.

Frankly, that was all I needed to know about Dungy.
However, the main point of Zeigler’s pieces is that NBC, Dungy’s employer, is aware of his rabid anti-LGBTQ+ views but does nothing to change them.

No comments on his story were made by NBC.
Zeigler notes that ESPN commentator Curt Schilling and Cincinnati Reds announcer Thom Brennaman were also fired for anti-LGBTQ+ remarks.
So why does NBC not mention Dungy?

I’m sorry, but even though many people believe Dungy to be the kindest person alive, endorsing and amplifying hate speech is dangerous.
One of those who says, “Hate the sin, love the sinner,” is undoubtedly Dungy.
But Dungy demonstrates that he doesn’t love the sinner but rather has violent intentions toward the sinner by being complicit in and openly supporting anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech.
Though he might be horrified to hear it, he shouldn’t be.

We are all aware that the rise in violence against LGBTQ+ persons is directly related to the rise in hate speech directed at our group.
Stories of deaths and injuries caused by hate crimes are abundant in The Advocate’s news archive, especially those from the previous year.
It has been quite overwhelming to watch it grow every day.
You can get desensitised to all the death and damage if you read our news feeds.

Since Elon Musk became involved, hate speech against us on Twitter has increased at a previously unheard-of rate, which is correlated with an uptick in crime.

Thanks to his over 80K followers who disseminate his venom, Wommack has taken over Twitter.
The fact that Dungy has roughly a million supporters makes the situation worse because every time he is linked to Wommack or makes an unpleasant remark about us, the hatred and anger grow stronger.
Dungy could believe everything is harmless when he posts something about homosexual NFL players or makes an appearance with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, or DeSatan to us.
But Dungy’s remarks and deeds have an impact.

People who respect and revere Dungy, especially young people, can only infer from what he says and the people he prays and hangs out with that it’s OK to hate us because he does, and to go one step further, it’s OK to hate us because NBC turns a blind eye.
And at that point, the violence begins.

Former NFL player Ryan O’Callaghan, who collaborates with the NFL on LGBTQ+ activism and alliances and aids the league in outreach to the LGBTQ+ community, is reinforcing this message.
I enquired about O’Callaghan’s opinion of Dungy.
He remarked, “Tony Dungy needs to understand his words can be upsetting to others who look up to him and just demonstrate his stupidity. I don’t know Tony Dungy personally.”
“I sincerely hope Mr. Dungy may find it in his Christian heart to put aside his prejudices and begin to love his neighbour.”

RK Russell, a former NFL player who played for Dungy in Tampa Bay and came out as bisexual in 2019, spoke with Zeigler while he was a free agent.
“Being a Black coach and a coach who wasn’t the conventional get-in-your-face-and-curse-you-out, he was someone I looked up to.
When someone you like doesn’t share your opinions, it can be depressing.
It’s distressing,” remarked Russell.

And I feel exactly that way.
I can no longer hold this man in high regard, despite the fact that he earned his name as a player with my team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and helped them win one of our coveted six Super Bowls.
He doesn’t get a pass for this one, excuse the pun.
Instead, I’m consigning Dungy to the history of the NFL’s worst-moments until he retracts all of his retaliation against me, a die-hard Steelers supporter, and my neighbourhood.

On NBC on Saturday, Dungy will call the wild-card game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
I want to watch because I love football.
But if Dungy is broadcasting, I’m unable to watch or listen since I’m gay.
When he opens his mouth, I won’t hear him say anything; instead, all I’ll hear is hate.

Do I grit my teeth while watching the game?
Do I turn the sound off while I watch the game?
If Dungy is involved, should I even watch football on NBC any longer?
All of these questions have a negative response.
I’ll figure out a way to stay current on the situation, and I appreciate that I now know what Tony Dungy’s current situation is.

The Advocate’s editor-in-chief is John Casey.

The opinions expressed in The Advocate’s opinion pieces are those of the authors and may not reflect those of The Advocate or equalpride, our parent business.