Former Super Bowl-winning coach and current NBC football analyst Tony Dungy became the latest target for the “Thought Police” last week, when he said he wouldn’t have drafted openly gay player Michael Sam because of the distractions it would cause for the team.
Said Dungy, “I wouldn’t have [drafted] him. Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it. It’s not going to be totally smooth … things will happen.”
And for his innocuous comments, Dungy was dubbed the “World’s Worst Person in Sports” by ESPN’s Keith Olbermann, and other swift attacks on Dungy came from all over.
American Family Association President Tim Wildmon said the Christian coach is the latest in a long line of those who have been targeted because their views don’t match the politically correct agenda.
“This is where the ‘progressive’ movement has taken us,” Wildmon said. “If you hold a view that is not in agreement with the opposition, you are demonized. ‘Progressives’ consider themselves morally superior to those who hold traditional values even though, ironically, progressives don’t believe in moral values unless they define them. They moralize against those who promote morality.
“The progressive movement is out to destroy our country,” Wildmon continued. “It is against patriotism and religion in general and is, in particular, hostile to evangelical Christianity and traditional Catholicism. It is against any belief in absolute moral standards. And it most certainly is for promoting the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender movement and punishing those who dare speak against it.”
Since the dust-up, Dungy has elaborated on his original comments, stating that he spoke shortly after learning that Sam was planning to be the focus of a reality TV series that chronicled his experiences and the distractions the show would cause.
Dungy also made a comparison on Dan Patrick’s syndicated sports talk show between the Sam situation and that of San Francisco’s Jonathan Martin, the former Miami Dolphins tackle who walked away from that team after being bullied by fellow linemen.
Dungy said he talked to some NFL general managers, who said that, despite Martin’s talent, the distraction of always following the story and checking on the status of the treatment of certain players would have been an issue and would have taken focus away from the team and the coaching staff.
“When someone like Tony Dungy, an upstanding Christian man who has helped many, makes a comment that can in any way be seen as challenging the narrative that homosexuality is normal, healthy and even ideal behavior, he is immediately discredited and publicly shamed—no matter the truth of his words. Tony Dungy will survive being labeled the ‘worst person in sports.’ But the fact that he is in the cross-hairs over his beliefs is chilling to free speech and free thinking. How ironic that the people who now scream the loudest about tolerance have become the least tolerant among us.”
AFA sent an Action Alert to its friends and supporters late last week, encouraging them to support Dungy, as well as other athletes who have been targeted for their beliefs about the homosexual agenda, including the New York Giants’ David Tyree, as well as Miami Dolphins’ safety Don Jones and San Francisco 49ers’ cornerback Chris Culliver, who were both sent to “re-education camps” for their comments about homosexuality.
“Tony Dungy is a man of character, integrity and faith–one who is committed to strengthening marriages,” Wildmon said. “But all that matters is whether someone is for or against homosexuality. That one opinion is the breaking point for success or failure—peace or upheaval—is the epitome of intolerance. And because those targeting Dungy claim they believe in tolerance, it’s also the epitome of hypocrisy for them. Unless this cycle is stopped, increasing numbers of professions will be closed off to people of sincere faith, including careers in the NFL.”
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