Tony Dungy, I’m So Puzzled By You
Obviously in the past few weeks people have been hearing the big “controversy” of Tony Dungy and his criticism of Rex Ryan’s coaching methods. Dungy has made it a point to call out Rex Ryan on the use of profanity in his training sessions and airing it on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” show where people are exposed to the vulgar words.
In what he calls a ‘not personal’ attack on Rex Ryan, Dungy explains how he wouldn’t give Ryan a job based on his constant use of the ‘F’ word, repeatedly saying it’s unnecessary and that the NFL commissioner should take action against him being able to do so. He warns how children and even some adults may be exposed to the vulgarity that is not representing the NFL well.
I have a few different takes on this whole ordeal, but really the first thing that comes to mind is : If your so upset at Rex Ryan for coaching in a way that may represent the NFL in a bad light, shouldn’t you be upset at Roger Goodell for signing a contract with HBO to profit from something he gave the green light to?
If anyone should be held accountable for the actions you’ve deemed to be so terrible, wouldn’t it be the NFL themselves? They are not only promoting the ‘Hard Knocks’ television show, they are profiting from it. Ya’ boy Roger Goodell is running the show. You think he wasn’t aware of what would be representing the NFL when this show aired? Is he complaining about it?
To think that NFL players and coaches don’t use profane language is obviously foolish and naïve. Everyone knows it, but it’s true that not everyone should be exposed to it. What Tony Dungy is saying really isn’t all that awful. The idea behind his self-righteous douchebag crusade really is that he doesn’t want vulgar language representing the NFL. Ok, that’s valid. Kinda dumb, but valid. I don’t ever have a problem with the idea of trying to make something cleaner and more morally sound. Dungy is just doing it in a such a stupid way, he can’t help but receive criticism.
I don’t want to dip too much into Dungy’s personal life, but it’s obvious that his religious morals are behind a majority of his decisions. His very public opinion on banning same-sex marriage doesn’t fair well for him, I don’t agree with it, but I do know that there are a large majority of Americans who think just like he does. Somehow in the past few years, he’s also turned into the “go-to mentor” for almost every black athlete that’s been involved in criminal activity, most notably Michael Vick. How’s that going for ya Dungy? Bad? Yea… real bad.
It’s foolish for Dungy to think that his religious morals will influence others to make major changes in their lifestyles, and it’s also foolish for him to believe that NFL training camps won’t have cursing. With that being said, the man has also done some incredibly positive things in his life. People often use their religious beliefs to back what would normally be very noble opinions, and thus the opinion gets lost. He’s a positive role model. It’s not a terrible critique of the NFL’s image, but he’s being a douche bag about it, and he’s essentially blaming the wrong people, in my opinion.
All I’m saying is, there’s often two sides to every story. I understand the difference between the family side of the NFL, and the going to Lincoln Financial Field during a Cowboys-Eagles game side of the NFL. You can’t ask the fans to stop cursing Tony Romo’s name in the stands, because it’s just simply not going to happen. It’s about me exposing my child (or even myself) to the game. I’m going to show my kid Remember the Titans, not Any Given Sunday.
They’re both very real sides of the NFL. You can get mad that they exist, and try to prevent them from being so prevalant in the NFL, but Rex Ryan ain’t running the show Mr. Dungy.