Sarah Palin tweeted this yesterday in support of Tony Dungy: Check out this post at Bristol’s blog and offer your thoughts. (I so appreciate her sincere and respectful “what… fb.me/1vWjAdxZx
Tony Dungy has created a media circus in recent days over his comments about openly gay player Michael Sam and the distraction he would be on any team.
Dungy, the former Colts and Bucs coach-turned-analyst, recently told Tampa Tribine reporter Ira Kaufman: “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.”
Coach Dungy clarified his comments by stating the reporter should have asked follow up questions.
“I was not asked whether or not Michael Sam deserves an opportunity to play in the NFL. He absolutely does,” Dungy said in the statement published by ProFootballTalk.com, a property owned by NBC, Dungy’s current employer.
“I was not asked whether his sexual orientation should play a part in the evaluation process. It should not. I was not asked whether I would have a problem having Michael Sam on my team. I would not.
“I have been asked all of those questions several times in the last three months and have always answered them the same way — by saying that playing in the NFL is, and should be, about merit. The best players make the team, and everyone should get the opportunity to prove whether they’re good enough to play. That’s my opinion as a coach.
“But those were not the questions I was asked. What I was asked about was my philosophy of drafting, a philosophy that was developed over the years, which was to minimize distractions for my teams.
“I do not believe Michael’s sexual orientation will be a distraction to his teammates or his organization. I do, however, believe that the media attention that comes with it will be a distraction. Unfortunately we are all seeing this play out now, and I feel badly that my remarks played a role in the distraction.
“I wish Michael Sam nothing but the best in his quest to become a star in the NFL and I am confident he will get the opportunity to show what he can do on the field. My sincere hope is that we will be able to focus on his play and not on his sexual orientation.”
Read more: https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/tony-dungy-addresses-michael-sam-remarks-absolutely-deserves-play-nfl-article-1.1876183#ixzz38ONkQ5nj
