When Tony Dungy was asked recently on national television whether ex-Pats head coach Bill Belichick should be in the Hall of Fame, Dungy declined to answer.
Dungy, himself a member of the pro football Hall of Fame, now says NBC has fired him.
Though he won’t say it, his big “mistake” was refusing to publicly endorse Belichick, in whom the fawning New England Patriots fans can see no wrong.
In a now-viral broadcast interview, Dungy last month wouldn’t disclose whether he voted for Belichick’s entry into the Hall of Fame, leading to intense criticism after the former star Pats coach failed to make the hall.
When Pats fans saw Dungy by deduction refuse to endorse cheating, they became unhinged.
How dare he?
Pats fans are blinded by their rose-colored glasses.
Apparently NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has decided he’s backing Belichick for the hall, saying recently it’s only a matter of time.”
Goodell, who enjoys hanging out at his oceanfront “cottage” in one of Maine’s wealthiest enclaves (Prouts Neck, Scarborough Maine) has been spending too much time in the sun.
First he fines an NFL coach (Billy boy) for cheating and the next day he says that same guy should be in the Hall of Fame.
Tony Dungy isn’t in league with Roger of Prouts Neck on cheating.
His bad.
Dungy coached in the NFL for 13 seasons, later transitioning to NBC’s broadcast booth as an analyst.
But NBC apparently has decided it no longer can abide Dungy’s honest analyses.
“I have been informed by NBC that I won’t be back this fall” Dungy posted Thursday on his social media “X” account. “It’s disappointing.”
Legacy-media analysis so far on Dungy’s ouster is refusing to touch the third rail – the famous interview in which he declined to say whether he voted for Belichick.
Hard to believe, since that controversial interview is the most memorable of his 17-year broadcast career.
Dungy spent nearly two decades as a co-host of Sunday Night Football.
He previously played defensive back for three years before leading the Buccaneers and Colts on the sidelines.
Dungy won a Super Bowl with Indianapolis as head coach during the 2006 season, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2016.
NBC-TV Fires Ex-NFL Star Player, Coach For Failing To Endorse Serial Cheater Belichick’s HOF Candidacy
By Ted Cohen
