Anti-gay NFL coach Tony Dungy didn’t know it at the time but two years ago, the recipient of an award named in his honor was presented to a gay college football player.
He’s University of Minnesota alum Luke McAvoy who last week publicly came out as gay.
In 2014, McAvoy received the Tony Dungy Character and Community Service Award. Dungy is the former NFL coach who did not think an openly gay Michael Sam should be allowed to play in the league.
The irony was not lost on McAvoy, 23, now a middle school teacher in Milwaukee.
‘I take it as an opportunity to prove him wrong,’ McAvoy said on a recent Outsports podcast.
‘Each one of us, we are so many different identities at the same time. Tony Dungy has done some good things in his life. His stance on homosexuality is not something I would label good or close to that. It’s much worse than that. It’s an opportunity to show him that gays can be on the team, and they’re not a distraction, they’re there to help out. They can play as well as anyone else can.’
Dungy, according to Outsports, ‘is the most vocal anti-gay head coach in NFL history’ and last week he was voted into the Pro Hall of Fame.
After Sam was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in 2014, Dungy – the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl – told the Tampa Tribune: ‘I wouldn’t have taken 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.’
In addition to his stance on Sam, when now-retired NBA player Jason Collins came out publicly before his final season, Dungy tweeted that he did not agree with Collins’ ‘lifestyle.’
Dungy was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001, and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008.
1 comment:
Tony's son hung himself from a ceiling fan. It is assumed that his son was gay and couldn't deal with daddy.
Post a Comment