Tony Dungy Drops Out Of President's Faith Council

Former NFL coach Tony Dungy has fumbled his invitation to serve on President Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, according to CBN's David Brody. A White House source tells Brody that Dungy couldn't make two of the four faith council meetings.

"Because of the time commitment needed I have respectfully declined," Dungy said in a statement to Brody.

The news should cheer the folks over at Americans United for Separation of Church and State, who tsked-tsked the president for the appointment in a March 31 statement:

"Dungy, former coach of the Indianapolis Colts football team, has well-known ties with intolerant Religious Right groups. In 2007, for example, he spoke at a fund-raising dinner for the Indiana Family Institute, a James Dobson-affiliated group that opposes gay rights, reproductive rights and separation of church and state."

Dungy will work with the president instead on responsible fatherhood initiatives.

Comments

[strangerinthenight]

'guess another one distancing from Obama.

[antaeus]

Being distanced, I should think.

[ErikW65]

Yep. Dungy apparently can't put politics aside in promotion of a common cause. He's all about faith, family, and helping others. But not if that means working with people with whom he disagrees.­..

[rain33]

wow, i'm speechless­.who would never knew about his background? right wing ties with right wing churches who hate gays and other disivise issues?wow, unbelieveable! dungy didn't want to disclose that info.i don't hate him but he must choose appropriate church who accepts anybody regardless of race,religion, sex, or any backgorund.

[ErikW65]

Usually takes awhile before the ugly truth is revealed.

[SecondBase]

"Dungy, former coach of the Indianapolis Colts football team, has well-known ties with intolerant Religious Right groups. In 2007, for example, he spoke at a fund-raising dinner for the Indiana Family Institute, a James Dobson-affiliated group that opposes gay rights, reproductive rights and separation of church and state."

Apparently the Family Institute does manage to make room for black football coaches who win the Superbowl.

[Elabacki]

Wow, Coach Dungy could do no wrong when he initially accepted the President's invite, but now he's the target for hate? What happened in such a short time?

[ErikW65]

Ask Dungy. Why does he not have enough time, with one less son and no coaching job?

[Betrayed]

The classless comments just keep coming. You're amazing ErikW65.

[xjug1987]

intolerant Religious Right groups: Why because you live your life based on wherever the wind blows, and Christians believe in the Bible, not themselves.

opposes gay rights - Homo's have the same rights and straights but marriage was created in the Bible, not by man. Marriage is between a man and woman. No animal on this planet engages in homo activities, except men. Its behavioural too, not "the way I was born".

reproductive rights - Where in the Constitution?

Where? Where it says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ... Keep dreaming if you think that is a separation of church and state." It says the Govt cannot prohibit or establish (as in an official religion of the US, as in the establishment of the Anglican Church of England).

Keep reaching and dreaming..­..

[Tom Payned]

Actually in the Bible, men were allowed multiple wives, so it wasn't between A MAN & A WOMAN, as A in this context is meant to be singular as in one man one woman.

The Bible also allows the owning of slaves, stoning of women, fathers killing their daughters or wives for sexual contact outside of marriage. Bans people with tattoos, eat shrimp or pork, wear clothing made from more than one fabric (no cotton poly blends which I expect are hanging in your closet), planting more than one crop in the same land that had been used for another crop, the list goes on.

Take a look at Leviticus and look at all of the rules from the old testament which are eternal sins and many which require total banishment, when death is not the remedy.

If you don't follow all of the rules of Leviticus, you are nothing more than a Cafeteria Christian, picking and choosing what you like, and ignoring the rest. In other words, you are not a true Christian but a hypocrite.

Are you also contending that prior to the mono deity Judeo Christian God, there were not marriages?

I think the Chinese and Indians would rebuke that.

[tesuji68]

Don't you contradict yourself? You say "keep dreaming if you think that is a separation of church and state" but then you seem to say that the government cannot have an official religion of the US. So exactly how can you have church and state intermingled and not have an official religion of the US? I would say that the moment you start passing laws based on one particular religious mythological construct, you immediately have an official state religion.

I know that most wingnut rethuglicans want to abolish the separation of church and state so that they can create a set of laws according to their particular mythological beliefs, but I wonder how they would feel if some group that was religious but not in line with their particular beliefs was in charge and making laws.

And wasn't prohibition a result of letting the religious nut jobs have too much influence?

Now, on marriage- this is obviously an unconstitutional intermingling of church and state- Churches should regulate marriage, while the state controls the legal aspects of marital union. For example- Catholics technically cannot remarry in the catholic church if they have been divorced. However, a divorced catholic is free to go down to the justice of the peace and get married. So if your church is against gay marriage, fine. gays don't get to get married in your church, but that doesn't mean they should not enjoy the same rights of marital union as anyone else.

[MorpheusXNYC]

Allow me to enlighten you.

1) Christians don't read the bible and interpret it for themselves. They follow doctrinal interpretations handed down by their pastors and religious leaders.
So they don't believe in the Bible. They believe whatever they're TOLD the bible says, not what it actually does.

2) Homosexuality exists in the animal kingdom in over 1500 different species that we've cataloged.

3) Some recent studies have found that the brains in homosexuals are - for the most part - wired as if they were the opposite sex So it's literally like they are trapped in the wrong body.

It's not a lifestyle choice. It's a physiological.

4) Marriage has been around since before recorded history, before religion, and practiced by Egyptians thousands of years before Judaism.
There are monogamous animals that mate for life, so even in the animal kingdom, a form of "marriage" exists.

5) Reproductive Rights as you're phasing it is not the constitution. But there are many things that are law and are not in the constitution - such as the right to privacy, which is where reproductive rights falls under.

6) Separation of Church and State is understood and implied in the passage you cite, plus in the Treaty of Tripoli where Article 11 states: "Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen" (Muslims)

[Betrayed]

Tony Dungy is a class act. One of the good guys in the NFL. The sudden death of his son was a tragedy, and I really cannot understand how some on this board can be so heartless and cruel. Blaming the father for his son's death? Such folks deserve nothing good in life.

[BrickSykes]

Wow! Their WHOLE LIFE? Man, that's HARSH!!

Brick

[ErikW65]

So you have a big problem with anyone judging Tony Dungy negatively. But you yourself will stand in judgement of, and condemn those that do? OK, hypocrite.

And is their some reason you used a footbal term "sudden death," rather than the word suicide, to refer to Dungy's son's death?

[Betrayed]

I spoke only of those who commented on his son's passing. No one KNOWS why his son took his own life, it is all speculation. Non family members or loved ones should mind their own business and keep their cheap thoughts to themselves. As for the words "sudden death", it's a euphemism. Get a life, and try having a heart.

[washlib]

you truly are a heartless s.cumb.ag. Lets hope life gets "easier" for you too soon..shee­sh

[ErikW65]

Dungy's going to "work with the president instead on responsible fatherhood initiatives"? Great. Just what we need, advice from a guy who was such a big part of his son's life that he had no idea that there was a problem that drove him to suicide.

Dungy is all about mathematical racial equality in sports coaching and seeing everything through a skin-color perspective. That's why he had to make the initial commitment to President Obama. Then he realized he didn't like the more pragmatic. less dogmatic politics, and got cold feet. Imo, it's just as well.

[hotwire]

The Left-Wing hate machine rolls on!!!!

[ErikW65]

Yeah, and so does the tactic of simply labeling someone who criticizes a public figure as a "hater" rather than challenge their points with reason.

[BrickSykes]

You didn't get the message, Wire. Democrats don't hate. That's just your well known tactic of 'Catapulting the Propaganda'. That is, if anybody calls anybody else a 'Bad Name' or attaches a negative label, the 'self-fulf­illing-pro­phecy' process will cause third parties to believe it. Well, humans don't operate like that.

The Republican Party OWNS the name "The Party of Hate" not because you say it all the time, but because the fact that you actually DO HATE is right there on your faces 24/7! The Whole World can see that!

Brick

[serindipity803]

"Faith based" is misleading to me. Religious Right would make more sense - Left Faith is free to worship-belief preference and NOT a part of government. It is unfortunate that our country is so divided over racism and bigotry that we have to house a farcial section of our government for 'faith based believers'.

[Catjya]

As much as I love him as a Coach Man Father,I heard him on a press junket 2.5 months ago on Limblah. HE,LIMBLAH, was slobbering all over Dungy..

Dungy never said any thing bad or against Pres Obama,but he did go on ;Liimblah to hock his book.

Because that show spews hate and racial division,it was an odd mix.

[me again]

Always concerned about anything faith based when it comes to good clean government.

[midpointpolitico]

Leave my Tony Dungy alone - for God sakes have you nothing else to worry about?

[OrbitOfOurOwn]

haters and intolerants deserved to be outed.

[LooktotheLeft]

d*amn straight

[momof3inGA]

I agree with you, midpointpolitico.

[LooktotheLeft]

What? about the "My Tony Dungy" part, "for God's sake" part, or "nothing else to worry about" part??

[LooktotheLeft]

You sound like the dude/chick (??) who screamed (via youtube) before millions: "Leave Brittney Alone!!!!!!!!!

[LooktotheLeft]

"My Tony Dungy"...w­tf...do you f**king own him??

[Mjlew]

Maybe dungy should of shown his gay son some of that "christian" charity instead of rejecting him to the point the poor kid killed himself. I have NO respect for a man that would throw his own son away because of some sad pathetic devoution to some mythology.

Dungy and the "promise keepers" a cult on the same level as the branch Davidians in MY opinion. These Christo-facist have done far more harm than any good they "say" they are doing.

[tqcobb]

Wow I didn't know that about his son....she­ds a different light on someone I've certainly admired and respected

[Kinsmankid]

His son was not Gay. Stop spreading lies.

[Okieborn]

Dungy for Colt Manager !!!

[powerlift2201]

I never knew Tony Dungy was a fundi His "faith" was always mentioned in reports but I don't remember many detalis - of course I'm on the west coast. I also never knew the controversy over his son's suicide. If Tony's intollerance to his son's possible homosexuality was a contributing factor to his suicide then that speaks volumes to Mr. Dungy's character. If Dungy didn't extend a hand to his son when he needed him most simply because who he was conflicted with Dungy's mythical beliefs then the man shouldn't be serving on any presidential commitee.

[essbird]

Last night, Hannity worked out an elaborate way to pin the fumble on Obama: That because Dungy is opposed to abortion, Obama took him out of the running under pressure from lib-ruhls and Feminazis, and how awful it is that Obama is excluding people of faith who don't agree with him as he imposes his socialist-­fascist-co­mmunist ideology on us poor deluded Messiah-worshipping citizens. The right-wing hate machine rumbles on.

[nef72]

Tony Dungy and his ilk in the coaching profession on both the collegiate and professional levels
have systematically brought their brand of Christian extremism to their profession. Tony is
a "promise keeper" and has made it very uncomfortable for non-believers or persons of conscience with different beliefs to be able to function comfortably in the locker room and on the playing field.
Their nearly mandatory prayer sessions have caused alot of tension and gotten little play in the media as no one in the media wants to take on "religion". The nearly mandatory kneeling for prayer at the conclusion of the game is so pervasive and obligatory -it has lost its meaning. Now on several teams-nearly every player feels forced to comply and drop to their knees. And at the collegiate levels- you
have the cheerleaders and other asundry hangers-on on the sidelines feeling the pressure to kneel and comply as well. It is troubling at best.

[Aiden]

I'd like to read more about what you've written; do you have a source you can reference?

[LooktotheLeft]

Really, really well said. Kudos ! Get prepared for the tr0lls like "getborked" cause they're coming after you.

[LooktotheLeft]

...make that "getborked" AND some misguided fool named "Aiden" who trumpets the views of the likes of L*imbaugh, et al., and is still (STILLLLL) bringing up William Ayers.

[LooktotheLeft]

make that "getborked" AND some misguided f*ool named "Aiden" who trumpets the views of the likes of L*imbaugh, et al., and is still (STILLLLL!!!) bringing up William A*yers.

[antaeus]

Any port in a storm, right?

The justification these enforcers of canned morality always offer is that it controls some unwanted behaviors in the young men to whom it's directed. They're dealing with guys who, for the most part, aren't giving up medical school to play sports, and who are spending much of their time within an activity that rewards fierce physical aggression. Hokey and robotic invocations of jeezus are a means of mind control. It's formal, gimmicky, and embarrassingly removed from introspective spirituality.