# Tony Dungy is a loathsome charlatan **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 10, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355 "2010-01-10T03:10:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/61 "2010-01-11T02:40:07Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > If you can take credit for your sons and daughters successes ,do you have to accept responsibility for the failures? Not if you are Christian.. ---
**Author:** ![Condescending\_Robot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a183cd/32.png) [@Condescending\_Robot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Condescending_Robot)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/62 "2010-01-11T02:50:10Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Actually, no one here appears to meet that odd condition. You, the one defending the bigot, are anti-gay and thus immoral. Regardless of whether you agree about the suicide, it’s very clear that Tony Dungy is a bigot who actively campaigns for the persecution of homosexuals and uses his considerable clout in the Indianapolis area to make it happen. To support his ability to continue his career consequence-free is to be anti-gay, which you are. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/63 "2010-01-11T04:24:36Z")
So would buying a Dixie Chicks album mean I’m anti-troops? ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/64 "2010-01-11T04:44:54Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > **KIDNEYFAIL** I’m going to take this as meaning that you, in mid-comment, suffered some unfortunate kidney problem and were rendered unable to finish typing (It was probably something like: “kidneyfailing…need…help…immediately”). I’ll go call 911. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/65 "2010-01-11T04:53:30Z")
If Dungy had given his some meds for depression I’m sure we would’ve heard “he’s trying to drug him out of being gay\*”. Having had suicide in my family, ver, very close to me, I can tell you even with the right drugs, treatment, doctors, therapy, clinics and everything, people kill themselves as I foun out. At some point you either chain a person, force-feed him and have him on a 24/7 watch or you do your best and hope for the best. - I know, I know, it’s just an example. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/66 "2010-01-11T05:53:32Z")
> [@Condescending\_Robot](#): > > You, the one defending the bigot, are anti-gay and thus immoral. Regardless of whether you agree about the suicide, it’s very clear that Tony Dungy is a bigot who actively campaigns for the persecution of homosexuals and uses his considerable clout in the Indianapolis area to make it happen. To support his ability to continue his career consequence-free is to be anti-gay, which you are. Sorry. You, inventing reasons to hate someone, (or to encourage other people to hate someone just because you do), is actually the “immoral” one–to say nothing of the stupid one. I have not defended Dungy’s beliefs or even his person EXCEPT from your totally invented claims about his parenting. You can hate him for his beliefs regarding homosexuality to your heart’s content. (I find his beliefs to be wrong.) You can hate him for interfering with the pleasure you would derive from your sports-induced catatonia and I would consider it just one more fanboy incident, unworthy of comment. It is your dishonest claims–unsupported by the least evidence and intended as the worst sort of malicious rumor mongering–that his behavior played a factor in his son’s suicide that I criticize. There is a minor industry, in this country, of sports figures wandering about making “inspirational” talks and trying to link sports and good character. I find all such persons boring, frequently pretentious, and, generally, thelogically inept. I ignore them, although I have no problem with others ranting against them. However, when you let your need to belittle someone spill over into outright lies–as you have, here–then I feel quite justified in pricking your little balloon of pompous hypocrisy. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/67 "2010-01-11T12:19:53Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > \ You can hate him for interfering with the pleasure you would derive from your sports-induced catatonia \ Not that I disagree with your central point in this thread, but is there a reason you’re being such a jerk about people who enjoy watching sports? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/68 "2010-01-11T14:51:27Z")
> [@storyteller0910](#): > > Not that I disagree with your central point in this thread, but is there a reason you’re being such a jerk about people who enjoy watching sports? I have not said a word about people who watch sports. I have commented, based on the expressions of the OP, on **Condescending Robot** ’s viewing of sports. Many folks watch sports with an appreciation of the athleticism, strategy, determination, and other attributes displayed by the players, (or even just because they seem to enjoy identifying with one team or another winning). Based on the lack of intelligence displayed in the rest of his posts, I have concluded that **Condescending Robot** is just one of those sillier people who watch sports because it is expected of him. I could be mistaken, but he has given me no reason to make an effort to change that opinion. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/69 "2010-01-11T15:14:09Z")
Fair enough. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaijon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sinaijon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaijon)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/70 "2010-01-11T15:22:12Z")
Tony Dungy happens to be one of my favorite people of all time. I’m not really alone. Even President Obama seems to hold him in regard: [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/wires/05/13/2020.ap.fbn.dungy.vick.0847/index.html](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/wires/05/13/2020.ap.fbn.dungy.vick.0847/index.html) > [@](#): > > Dungy has been so successful in helping others that President Barack Obama wanted him to serve on a 25-person roster that is part of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Dungy declined, but said he still will be involved with President Obama’s work. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/71 "2010-01-11T16:25:05Z")
Mine too. However, if he actively campaigns against gay equality initiatives, that would be a _huge_ black mark against him in my book. On the other hand, if he just doesn’t agree with gay marriage, it’s none of my business. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/72 "2010-01-11T16:41:29Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > Tony Dungy happens to be one of my favorite people of all time. I’m not really alone. Even President Obama seems to hold him in regard: [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/wires/05/13/2020.ap.fbn.dungy.vick.0847/index.html](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/wires/05/13/2020.ap.fbn.dungy.vick.0847/index.html) Does that mean Tony Dungy is a muslim? ---
**Author:** ![capeo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@capeo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capeo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/73 "2010-01-11T16:47:06Z")
I can’t stand Dungy and his anti-gay rhetoric either nor his holier than thou image. That said, blaming him for his sons suicide is a stretch and blaming 100% of parents for their teens suicides is ridiculous and disgusting. There is no doubt a fraction of teen suicides are due to neglect, but it’s a small fraction. What is a fact is the correlation of homosexual teens being far more likely to attempt suicide. Studies have shown factors ranging between 3 to 8 times more likely than straight teens to attempt suicide. A recent study, [http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/123/1/346](http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/123/1/346), showed that homosexual teens rejected by their families were at extremely higher risks of suicide, substance abuse, violence and other bad health outcomes. I would think this would be obvious. There is no real evidence this is the case in Dungy’s son’s suicide but in overall suicides it certainly is a factor. The idea that all suicides could be prevented by parents is ludicrous and shows an utter misunderstanding of depression, its symptoms and its treatability. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaijon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sinaijon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaijon)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/74 "2010-01-11T16:58:28Z")
> [@capeo](#): > > I can’t stand Dungy and his anti-gay rhetoric either. Now that we are at almost 2 pages, is anybody actually going to provide a quote or cite of any of his ‘anti-gay rhetoric’? Come one, if he’s really activist, it should be all over the place, right? ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/75 "2010-01-11T17:25:45Z")
My impression is that Dungy is _not_ an anti-gay “activist”. Most of that stems from his association with the Indiana Family Institute. While I think Dungy is dead wrong about gay marriage, I don’t think what he said quailfies him as an activist. YMMV, of course. “The coach told the audience he supported the group’s (efforts to amend the Indiana constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.” From this article: [http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/17556414/](http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/17556414/) ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/76 "2010-01-11T17:37:10Z")
BTW, I want to remind people that **Condescending Robot** is the same moron who thinks parents are responsible for teen suicide. ---
**Author:** ![lalenin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@lalenin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lalenin)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/77 "2010-01-11T17:56:50Z")
> [@tacoloco](#): > > My impression is that Dungy is _not_ an anti-gay “activist”. Most of that stems from his association with the Indiana Family Institute. While I think Dungy is dead wrong about gay marriage, I don’t think what he said quailfies him as an activist. YMMV, of course. > > “The coach told the audience he supported the group’s (efforts to amend the Indiana constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.” > > From this article: > > [http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/17556414/](http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/17556414/) And isn’t President Obama’s view as well? The OP must go into fits on a regular basis when the President appears on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/78 "2010-01-11T18:04:02Z")
No. Obama is, by his own admission, not in favor of gay marriage. However, he strongly opposes constitutional amendments barring gay marriage. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/79 "2010-01-11T18:37:01Z")
Obama supports civil unions, and his “opposition” to same-sex marriage is articulated as being purely philosphical. He actually opposes any legislative bans, so his personal opposition is basically akin to the standard politican’s line about being personally opposed to abortion, but thinking it should be legal. It’s essentially meaningless, since positions on legislation is what matters, not personal philosophy. Of course, Obama doesn’t really even mean it philosphically, it’s just something he had to say to get elected. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355/80 "2010-01-11T18:55:20Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Obama supports civil unions, and his “opposition” to same-sex marriage is articulated as being purely philosphical. He actually opposes any legislative bans, so his personal opposition is basically akin to the standard politican’s line about being personally opposed to abortion, but thinking it should be legal. It’s essentially meaningless, since positions on legislation is what matters, not personal philosophy. > > Of course, Obama doesn’t really even mean it philosphically, it’s just something he had to say to get elected. So Obama is a liar **and** a bigot. Fair enough. Regards, Shodan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-dungy-is-a-loathsome-charlatan/524355.md?page=5)