'I Am Serving the Lord': Tony Dungy Issues Blunt Response to Critics Outraged over DeSantis Fatherhood Event

Billy Hallowell : Apr 14, 2022
Faithwire.com

"2 days ago I spoke on behalf of a Florida bill that supports dads & families and it offended some people," Dungy tweeted. "14 yrs ago Pres Obama said the same things almost verbatim. I'm assuming people were outraged at him too. I am serving the Lord so I'll keep supporting dads and families." -Tony Dungy

[Faithwire.com] Famed football coach Tony Dungy is hitting back after critics lambasted his appearance Monday alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) at a signing event for HB 7065, a bill aimed at bolstering fatherhood. (Screengrab image)

Dungy, who helped found All Pro Dad, an organization that supports fatherhood, said, despite the harsh critique, he will continue to support fathers and families and will continue "serving the Lord."

We'll get into his full remarks on the matter, but let's first explore the background.

The bill at the center of the Dungy angst—signed Monday by DeSantis—empowers Florida's Department of Children and Families to provide grants to non-profits that focus on helping equip fathers to be more engaged with their children. The massive effort will purportedly dole out $70 million to these charities.

Recipients will include mentorship opportunities for at-risk kids and groups aimed at helping dads make good on child support responsibilities, among other efforts.

"Any dad who may not be engaged, we want to be able to support," DeSantis said during the signing event Dungy attended. "We've got programs, we've got community groups, we've got non-profits ... You're not a man by leaving your kids hung out to dry. You need to be there."

The effort might, at first sight, seem relatively uncontroversial, but it didn't take long for some to make it political and try to bully Dungy with online criticism.

Why Was Dungy Under Fire?

It appears Dungy received critique based on two key factors: comments he made in 2014 about an unrelated issue—and general disagreement with his fatherhood comments made during the signing ceremony.

Let's lead with the latter issue: Dungy praised the bill during the event and shared his personal story of having a loving dad growing up. After he started coaching, though, he said he learned of the full impact of fatherlessness. (Screengrab image)

"Not everyone had the same blessing that I did," he said.

Dungy described a conversation he once had with Abe Brown, who ran a prison ministry. Brown took Dungy with him to jail one day and later told Dungy how the perils of fatherlessness had impacted the lives of many young prisoners they encountered.

"I asked [Brown], how do those young boys get here? And he told me, it's not socio-economic, it's not racial, it's not education, it's none of that," Dungy recalled. "Ninety-five percent of these boys did not grow up with their dad. And that hit me. That hit me very hard"... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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