Tony Dungy’s Christian Dilemma
By Brian Worley of ExMinister.Org
Life must be great when you are the head football coach of the defending champions Indianapolis Colts and when you have a book that ranks amongst others in the best selling charts. Such is the life of Tony Dungy, so what is the problem here?
The problem is that Tony Dungy, as a Christian, has a call of God upon his life that only those who have personally had that same calling can fully appreciate. That heavenly call, call it the divine purpose, or the reason that you feel that you have been placed here upon the earth takes precedence over whatever else stands in its path. Standing in Dungy’s path is honoring a coaching contract he signed years ago. Someone needs to remind this “Christian giant” of James 5:12 admonition “but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation”. For the third year in a row, the Colts are left “twisting in the wind” wondering if his “yea” is really a “yea”. Tony has fallen into legitimate Bible condemnation by signing a long-term contract and not solidifying the integrity of his word. I don’t view his reluctance as “quiet strength”, I view it as a neurotic religious addiction.
His dilemma has ripple effects in Indianapolis and the Colts fan base. No man is an island, especially when you are in such a strategic position as Dungy occupies. Should he stay or should he go? This is an interesting question being bandied about.
The most interesting question that begs to be addressed is whether a man with a divided mind should be allowed to pilot an enterprise as important as an NFL football team? I sense that a few writers would love to write about this, but would their editors shoot down such a politically incorrect proposition? The establishment media might shun this topic, but it is fair game for an ex-christian website.
Winning in the NFL is extremely difficult to do on a consistent basis. . Winning takes smart planning, dedication, attention to detail, and acquisition of talent along with some luck when the ball bounces your way. No team has ever matched the 5 consecutive, 12 win seasons that the Colts have amassed from 2003-2007. But, you don’t have to be a pundit to realize that the Colts have underachieved when it comes to the playoffs.
Look, anything less than a 100% attention span towards winning your next game is cheating your fan base. Dungy has one eye upon his God in the sky Jesus. Could it be that this same divided attention affects the team? I think that it does. Let us examine the Tarik Glenn abrupt retirement scenario. The all pro tackle suddenly decides to retire not long after the draft. Part of his explanation for this was that he felt that it was God’s will.
Don’t you just love these wonderful Christian men? You commit to them and are counting on them to uphold their end of the bargain. Then how do they repay you? They back out, quoting God’s will…simply amazing! It is nauseating to hear them speak of character and integrity. They don’t think twice about leaving you or your organization twisting in the wind and your having to clean up after them.
Anyone else agree with me?
Brian Worley
All Rights Reserved
Life must be great when you are the head football coach of the defending champions Indianapolis Colts and when you have a book that ranks amongst others in the best selling charts. Such is the life of Tony Dungy, so what is the problem here?
The problem is that Tony Dungy, as a Christian, has a call of God upon his life that only those who have personally had that same calling can fully appreciate. That heavenly call, call it the divine purpose, or the reason that you feel that you have been placed here upon the earth takes precedence over whatever else stands in its path. Standing in Dungy’s path is honoring a coaching contract he signed years ago. Someone needs to remind this “Christian giant” of James 5:12 admonition “but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation”. For the third year in a row, the Colts are left “twisting in the wind” wondering if his “yea” is really a “yea”. Tony has fallen into legitimate Bible condemnation by signing a long-term contract and not solidifying the integrity of his word. I don’t view his reluctance as “quiet strength”, I view it as a neurotic religious addiction.
His dilemma has ripple effects in Indianapolis and the Colts fan base. No man is an island, especially when you are in such a strategic position as Dungy occupies. Should he stay or should he go? This is an interesting question being bandied about.
The most interesting question that begs to be addressed is whether a man with a divided mind should be allowed to pilot an enterprise as important as an NFL football team? I sense that a few writers would love to write about this, but would their editors shoot down such a politically incorrect proposition? The establishment media might shun this topic, but it is fair game for an ex-christian website.
Winning in the NFL is extremely difficult to do on a consistent basis. . Winning takes smart planning, dedication, attention to detail, and acquisition of talent along with some luck when the ball bounces your way. No team has ever matched the 5 consecutive, 12 win seasons that the Colts have amassed from 2003-2007. But, you don’t have to be a pundit to realize that the Colts have underachieved when it comes to the playoffs.
Look, anything less than a 100% attention span towards winning your next game is cheating your fan base. Dungy has one eye upon his God in the sky Jesus. Could it be that this same divided attention affects the team? I think that it does. Let us examine the Tarik Glenn abrupt retirement scenario. The all pro tackle suddenly decides to retire not long after the draft. Part of his explanation for this was that he felt that it was God’s will.
Don’t you just love these wonderful Christian men? You commit to them and are counting on them to uphold their end of the bargain. Then how do they repay you? They back out, quoting God’s will…simply amazing! It is nauseating to hear them speak of character and integrity. They don’t think twice about leaving you or your organization twisting in the wind and your having to clean up after them.
Anyone else agree with me?
Brian Worley
All Rights Reserved
I'm not a sports fan but isn't there a buybull quote about serving two masters?
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought god was a baseball fan.
ReplyDeleteIs he?
ReplyDeleteHallo....? Is there anybody out there? Okay, so he's into football then.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big NFL fan and always admired Tony Dungy from back in his days with Tampa Bay.
ReplyDeleteIt was really disappointing for me to listen to his speech last year after winning the Super Bowl. Peyton Manning, too, for that matter!
Why do these people think that their god gives a sh*t about their silly little game?
Let's face it: If god is a sports fan, he follows soccer...
What the fuck has recreational games got to do with god? If there even was such an entity, I'm sure he would be too busy with his genocide agendas to be worried about sport!
ReplyDeleteI have a few comments that I would like to add here.
ReplyDeleteIt is a wonderful spectacle when a prominent person gives something back to his community. I have witnessed the San Diego Chargers owner Alex Spanos do so many great things for the community in Stockton, CA. I love his "quiet strength" because it is silent strength...in other words he doesn't go around and promote his philanthropy. Peyton Manning is the same way.
If TD wants to get involved in prison and other ministries then that is what he should do!
These athletes comments about God blessing them or them giving praise to God when they win is annoying. Can't we have separation of religion and sports?????
I didn't hear TD say anything about being blessed this year after the Colts exited the playoffs after their first game for 2 of the last 3 years.
Maybe god is upset because they play ball on god's day???? Oh, but if you kneel and pray together before and after the game then god's wrath will be appeased...right?
I see the author's point (I think), but don't we all serve multiple masters? A good coach shouldn't be expected to not make his family a priority, as long as he can balance the two. Tony Dungy wants to add his god to the mix, too. I don't think that's inherently a problem.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I don't appreciate this "God wants me to break this contract" thinking. If someone wants to break their contract, whatever, but as an atheist, I think it's a total waste to leave something you love just b/c you think "God" wants you to. And as an Indianapolis native, I really hope Tony doesn't leave b/c good ol' God "tells" him to. We've had several amazing seasons under him (although, clearly, the playoffs have been all over the place) and "God" is a lame reason for that to end.
Hopefully if he does leave (which is seeming pretty imminent), our new coach cools it on the god-talk. It was pretty embarassing last year after we won the Super Bowl to constantly hear Tony and the players talk about how "God was on our side"... no, "God" wasn't on "our side"! We played a hell of a game and we won, and that's all there was to it!
What God thinks of the Indianapolis Colts et al.
ReplyDelete