Tony Dungy, former NFL safety, head coach and current NBC football analyst, has recently been facing a lot of backlash from the internet after making many offensive and anti-LGBTQ+ comments. Dungy has a long history of being in support of homephobic beliefs and organizations. Some have considered him the most publicly anti-gay person in at least the recent history of the NFL. 

Tony Dungy’s public discrimination and opposition to LGBTQ+ people has been going on for decades. Throughout his career, he has raised money to fight against same-sex marriages, partnered with anti-gay organizations, and publicly denounced the sexuality of openly gay athletes, specifically ones in the NFL. Back in 2014, Michael Sam, one of the NFL’s first openly gay players, was drafted by the L.A. Rams. Following this, Dungy made a public statement saying, “I wouldn’t have taken him. I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it. It’s not going to be totally smooth, things will happen.” This is just one example of the hateful comments Dungy has said. 

Although this kind of homophobic behavior is on-brand for Dungy, he has been facing even more criticism for a recent tweet regarding transgender rights. Dungy had responded to a tweet about a proposed bill in Minnesota that would require menstrual products in boys’ bathrooms at schools. In his tweet Dungy stated, “that’s nothing. Some school districts are putting litter boxes in the bathrooms for the students who identify as cats. Very important to address every student’s needs.” Not only was it highly offensive to the transgender community, but it was also completely made up. 

Shortly after, Dungy took the tweet down and followed it up with an insincere apology. He said, “…As a Christian, I should speak in love and in ways that are caring and helpful. I failed to do that and I am deeply sorry.” Despite these tweets, Dungy still went to work and covered the NFL games that day. However, NBC released statements explaining that they don’t condone this type of behavior. They stated, “NBC Sports does not support or condone the views expressed in the tweet and we have made that clear to Tony. Our company has long and proudly supported LGBTQ+ rights and works hard to ensure that all of our employees are seen, acknowledged, recognized, and respected.” 

After this statement, NBC Out, the LGBTQ+ section of NBC News, published articles bashing Dungy and bringing back his history of anti-gay beliefs and comments. NBC made it even clearer that they were not in support of Dungy and that his beliefs are not in-line with the company’s. With the amount of upbraiding that Tony Dungy is facing, the future of his career at NBC could be in danger.