03/21/2007
NFL and Indianapolis Colts Coach Dungy Raise Money for Anti-Gay Hate Group
It's been talked about for weeks, but last night Indianapolis Colts Coach Tony Dungy stood before a staunchly anti-gay crowd at the Indiana Family Institute Banquet benefit and declared himself to "embrace" them in the gay marriage debate.
Said Dungy: "I appreciate the stance they're taking, and I embrace that stance...IFI is saying what the Lord says. You can take that and make your decision on which way you want to be. I'm on the Lord's side....We're not anti- anything else. We're not trying to downgrade anyone else. But we're trying to promote the family -- family values the Lord's way."
Earlier this month the Colts released a statement distancing themselves from the event: "Coach Dungy's feelings on the importance of marriage and family are well known. He, of course, is free to speak to any group he wishes. The club does not take positions in political issues in which it is not directly involved. The Colts do not endorse any political or religious position taken by any group that any Colts employee decides to speak or lend his or her name to."
They did, however, provide signed sports equipment to be auctioned off to raise money for the anti-gay organization: "Previous IFI banquets had drawn at most 440 guests, according to organizers. But the appearance of the Super Bowl-winning coach to receive the institute's "Friend of the Family" award set a record. Seats for the event at the Ritz Charles, one of the institute's largest annual fundraisers, went for $75 apiece. In addition to the more than $50,000 raised from ticket sales, the institute auctioned off enough Dungy-signed Colts footballs, helmets and paraphernalia to raise nearly another $20,000. In keeping with the Colts theme, Dungy was introduced by Colts punter Hunter Smith, whose Christian band Connersvine served as the evening's entertainment."
Imho, raising $20,000 for a hate group means the Colts (and therefore the NFL) is endorsing them.
Dungy: 'I embrace' same-sex marriage ban [indianapolis star]
Posted 12:53 PM EST by Andy Towle in Football (American), Gay Marriage, Indiana, News, Tony Dungy | Permalink
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Interesting that others have noted the possibility that Dungy's son's death was somehow related to his bigoted father's hate-filled beliefs. When I speculated (in a previous thread)that his son may have been gay and committed suicide rather than face his bigot of a father, I was pilloried by many. Yet I have seen this pattern too many times to discount the possibility, nay probability.
We will likely never know but it would not surprise me that a confirmed bigot such as Dungy would continue spewing his hatred even if he knew or suspected that his son was gay. RJP3 you are prescient in your insights.
Keep up the good fight for basic human rights.
Posted by: rudy | Mar 21, 2007 3:49:18 PM
And, Derrick, Jasmyne [whom I TOTALLY agree with about Shirley Q. Liquor] gave Isaiah Washington a gilded Get Out of Bigot Jail card, because she knew him to be a nice guy or whatever. He even thanked her in his acceptace speech for the NAACP "Image Award" [which I trust their Board Chair Julian Bond was ashamed to see him get]. And, oh yeah, to cap that crap off, she pulled a Michael Ovitz and blamed the attacks on Washington on a "gay white mafia." I guess if she personally knew Hardaway he would have gotten a pass, too. And, yes, I DO consider calling someone a faggot in anger the moral equivalent of saying one hate gays just as I would a consider a white person saying "nigger" racist in a similar context.
Posted by: Leland | Mar 21, 2007 3:54:07 PM
I think most any crusade against homosexuality stems from a need to compensate for something.
Aside from good old fashioned home-grown intolerance, those reasons could include, but are not limited to:
fear of one's own sexuality
anger over an incident in their past - perhaps sexual abuse as a child
embarrassment over an incident in the
past - perhaps experimentation
low self esteem, small penis, masculinity issues, etc etc
Guilt over the loss of a gay child. Displaced anger at a "lifestyle" they blame
rather than taking responsibility.
Guilt over acts in their own life which probably "anger God", therefore they fight evil homos so God will be pleased and look the other way regarding their sins.
Posted by: mark m | Mar 21, 2007 4:09:29 PM
Rudy,
So now you only "speculated" on the sexuality of the young Dungy?!?!?! You connected the boy's death to the other suicides of queer youth and turned all huffy when it was suggested that we do not know why the boy killed himself. That continues to be true no matter how many folk here seem convinced the boy was a sodomite. As for Dungy, his anti same sex marriage stance is not surprising considering his faith. Doesn't make it right but I'm not really surprised.
Posted by: James | Mar 21, 2007 4:19:51 PM
Tony Dingy (purposely misspelled) has lost all of my respect. This better be brought up to the NFL, and the NFL better punish Tony Dingy. Tony Dingy shouldn't be preaching about family because obviously his family had some serious issues.
Posted by: Ben | Mar 21, 2007 4:38:17 PM
James, Sodomite (?) Well, baby you have truly revealed yourself to be the ignoramus that I more than speculated you to be.
Posted by: rudy | Mar 21, 2007 5:10:50 PM
Rudy,
Stop. You are breaking my heart. Yes sodomite. And for the record: if you search this site here is how I once described myself: "fat, bitter, and colored." Learn some humor baby.
Posted by: James | Mar 21, 2007 5:17:35 PM
Okay James. You are a humorous (but far from entertaining) ignoramous.
Posted by: rudy | Mar 21, 2007 5:26:45 PM
If Dungy and the IFI were serious about promoting families "the Lord's way," they would be raising money to ban divorce and to make adultery and having children out of wedlock a crime. They would find lots of passages in the Bible to back up such initiatives.
Banning gay marriage has no effect whatsoever on promoting families "the Lord's way." As some comedian said, 50% of straight marriages don't end in divorce on account of gayness. Any reasonable person knows that heterosexuals do a fine job on their own bringing up the divorce rate, committing adultery, and having kids out of wedlock. There are players on his team who are divorced, who commit adultery, and who have children out of wedlock. How come he doesn't belong to organizations that raise money to get rid of those sins?
Their agenda is to gay bash, and Dungy can bullshit all he wants about not hating and not bashing when he knows full-well that that is what he's doing. What a prick.
Poor Marvin. 'Nuff said.
Posted by: SGR | Mar 21, 2007 5:30:39 PM
I really do not recall Jesus addressing alternative lifestyles, also curious he was never married. Peace to the witchhunt crowd.
Posted by: Richie | Mar 21, 2007 5:34:48 PM
I will never understand how an otherwise well reasoned, successful, intelligent person can willfully embrace ideas and thinking that stand in complete conflict with everything that such a person as Mr. Dungy should, by all rights, be against. Perhaps it's yet more clear proof as to the corrupting and brainwashing power of Christianity? Maybe some people just can't understand the incongruence between their life and their professed religious intolerance? I don't know. One thing I am sure of, however, is that Mr. Dungy ought to know better. That he doesn't, is suggestive of many possibilities, none of which are good...
Posted by: Robert In WeHo | Mar 21, 2007 5:38:57 PM
Rudy,
And you are a dour little prig. So I guess we are even. Be well sweetie!
Posted by: James | Mar 21, 2007 5:47:46 PM
If Coach Dungy really wanted to follow "the Lord," he would do at least two things that he apparently overlooked when studying what Leviticus and the Apostle Paul said about homosexuals:
1. Refuse to let the Colts play on Sunday, for that is the Sabbath as identified by Xtians and Leviticus forbids anyone working on the Sabbath. - Leviticus 23.3.
2. He would hire genealogists to identify whom his ancestors worked for; track down their descendents, quit the Colts, and report with his wife and children for cotton picking duty.
"...you may buy male and female slaves. Moreover you may buy the children of the strangers who dwell among you, and their families who are with you, which they beget in your land; and they shall become your property. And you may take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your permanent slaves." - Leviticus 25: 44-46.
"Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything." - Apostle Paul; Colossians 3:22
"[Slavery] was established by decree of Almighty God...it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation...it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts." Jefferson Davis, President, Confederate States of America
Posted by: Leland | Mar 21, 2007 6:19:53 PM
AfterElton has covered this story very well.
The NFL is endorsing this group by playing stupid about what it is. I have no respect for the NFL, the players or the coaches. They are ignornant.
Posted by: Jack! | Mar 21, 2007 6:20:35 PM
"MANY GAY GROUPS RAISE MONEY FOR THE ACLU AND THEY DEFEND NAMBLA MEMBERS...... WHERE IS YOUR STAND ON THAT? I forgot that unless you're bed wetting liberal and don't think the way the majority of the sheep think, you don't have rights to free speech.
UH ...what an ass first off.
Second ... noone is saying Tony Dungy can not do as he want and say what he wants BUT what he is saying is bigotry. Unless you do not thing that gays and lesbians should have equal rights including marriage rights and the 1000 Federal Special Rights that go along with them.
The ACLU protects free speech. Correct.
I think NAMBLA is a front first off ... it may have existed by the rumor is that it is mostly a few wackos getting funding by conservatives to discredit the gay movement.
Anyway ... I DO NOT SUPPORT the ACLU because it takes on crazy cases like NAMBLA that I do not support AND I AM A LIBERAL.
However without the ACLU's work bigots would shut down any website or publication that mentions homosexuality and return us to the recent past.
Not sure who the original post came from - but his logic does not hold up.
You can hate NAMBLA (I have been in huge anti-NAMBLA protests at a gay parade in which the organizers made the MISTAKE of letting them march - this was LONG ago in 1990.)
AND you can dislike TONY DUNGY and point out that the corporations he work for should stop allowing him to use their names and logos if they want gay dollars (they do).
Posted by: RJP3 | Mar 21, 2007 6:21:38 PM
LELAND YOUR AN IDIOT AFTER 7 YERS OR JUBILEE THEY WOULD BE FREE OR THEY COULD EARN THEIR FREEDOM. THE ORIGINAL SABBATH IS SATURDAY.
I have iften argued how can we embrace the two dads two moms ( divorced parents) on their way to the third but cant show gay role models people who have been together a long time not just break up . Im straight a nd i hate them theyll get divorced twice technically be on the third but not get married to their significant other cause they want aliimony from their last. Living with derek real housewives of or ange county guliani if i had kids i rather be like adam and steve have been together 15 - 25 years then them see suzyy and her third jim
Posted by: sasha | Mar 21, 2007 7:46:04 PM
The Indy Star comments feature to the article seems to be working again. 762 as I write this.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070321/SPORTS03/703210413&theme=
Posted by: Leland | Mar 21, 2007 7:48:48 PM
Well, gee, Sasha. It's kinda hard to decipher your post. Is English your second [third, fourth] language and/or are you drunk and/or..... But seeing that you seem to think that only having to remain a slave for seven years was a GOOD thing, perhaps "Retarded" is the label that most applies.
Sabbath? Sorry, girlfriend. But you say puh-tah-toe, they say puh-taa-toe...Most Xtians say it's Sunday, Jews Saturday, and Muslims Friday. But when it comes to brains not working, every day is your Sabbath.
And, Mary, if you're trolling gay sites [emphasis on the "troll"], one doubts you're as "straight" as you'd like the world to believe. You're touching yourself right now, aren't you?
Posted by: Leland | Mar 21, 2007 7:59:35 PM
And Rudy, you spelled "ignoramus" wrong. I'm glad it's not just the young gays (whom you hate so much) who slip up!
Posted by: jmg | Mar 21, 2007 8:20:33 PM
And again, Leland: Jasmyne was tough on idiot Hardaway, and on the NAACP for its silence on Hardaway's hateful idiot mouth.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly |
Yes she has, she's kept at it for months. And her criticsm of NAACP had them quite unhappy, cause they allegedly called at her place of work to intimidate her.
http://jasmynecannick.typepad.com/jasmynecannickcom/2007/03/the_new_cointel.html
Posted by: Da | Mar 21, 2007 10:37:46 PM
I am a gay man living in Indianapolis and the battle between anti-gays and gays have been loud and nasty lately, mainly due to
the ammendment banning same sex marriage;
it is currently in debate in the House.
Please go to the Indystar.com addy and
sound off on this. The hateful posts of the
anti-gays are disgusting to say the least.
I think a lot of them may be paid shills from a group called Advance America which is a grassroots "focus on the family," type hate group.
What is laughable is that even after Dungy's "stance," Indianapolis is still trying to whore themselves to the NFL in hopes of a future Superbowl bid - I hope
people contact the NFL and let them know this is NOT the town to have a Superbowl.
The only thing that would fit in here is a
snake handling, tamborine beating tent revival meeting!!
Posted by: Greg | Mar 22, 2007 1:47:20 AM
James, Good to know that a self-described fat, bitter queen is on the lookout for humor in adolescent suicide, parental abuse, and religious bigotry.
JMG, Spend much time at conjunction junction? 'Ignoramous' is a widely used alternative spelling, particularly in scholarly texts. And your point was. . .?
Good that JMG and James are focussing on the topic of the thread and bringing forth such insights.
Posted by: rudy | Mar 22, 2007 7:23:55 AM
The man is standing up and promoting what he believes in. He has the right in every aspect to do what he is doing. If it upsets homosexuals that he follows his faith (and gauging from 95% of the comments here, it does), then they (homosexuals) need to ramp up their counter attack and continue to speak out for whatever it is they are seeking (sidebar: Stump for civil unions vs gay marriage and you'd fare a lot better).
I am amazed how the verb 'hate' is so cavalierly bandied about when someone takes an opposing viewpoint on what homosexuals are attempting to advance. Tony D., in my opinion, (nor do others) hate homosexuals. They believe differently, with a majority of them basing their opinion and belieefs on a religious / Christian foundation.
It would make more sense for homosexuals to denounce those who are NOT religiously affiliated in their opposition to gays.
Consider the religious, et al. as a lost cause and pursue other avenues, groups, etc. to voice & promote your agenda.
Posted by: Stephen | Mar 22, 2007 8:38:50 AM
I'm sure you were going for that "alternative spelling" the whole time, too. Sure.
Posted by: jmg | Mar 22, 2007 9:22:24 AM
JMG,
Why of course he was because Rudy is nothing but "scholarly." We know this because he keeps yapping about his brilliant mind.
Rudy,
What have you added? Heck you just accused Dungy of abusing his child. Any evidence of that? Wait a minute. I'm sorry. You said it, therefore it must be true. What you have done is hijacked a kid's suicide so it can meet your political agenda without one iota of proof that James Dungy was gay. Hold on. I'm sorry again. He was described as "sensitive" and his father is a religious conservative. There you go then because no one has ever heard of a straight kid who is sensitive.
Listen critiquing Coach Dungy's stance on same-sex marriage is one thing. Making leaps based on scraps of info is another.
Posted by: James | Mar 22, 2007 9:54:59 AM