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There always comes a point is a person’s life when the ways they thought about the world is no longer deemed true. It can be when the rules of society have changed, with people more accepting of activities that were not permitted a generation earlier; or when things in your chosen profession are done differently than when you first started. For Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, that time has been slowly approaching him in recent years and has finally arrived in full force. Now, his former employers in the NFL are doing things that he would never approve of, except now, his opinion does not matter to those involved in the league … and that’s because the NFL has passed Tony Dungy by.
I really don’t like seeing this Adam. When I came into the league the NFL had a stance against gambling. Now it seems like we’ve accepted it. I realize it’s legal now but we’ve all seen the damage gambling can do to lives. I don’t think we should be promoting it. https://t.co/8wUY1M8Ff5
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) August 30, 2021
After the final round of preseason games were played this weekend, the National Football League announced agreements with four sportsbook companies, certifying them as “approved” by the league. This announcement caught the attention of Tony Dungy, who denounced the agreements by saying, “When I came into the league the NFL had a stance against gambling. Now it seems like we’ve accepted it. I realize it’s legal now, but we’ve all seen the damage gambling can do to lives. I don’t think we should be promoting it.”
A decade ago when marijuana was illegal, the NFL did what it needed to do as a national business: tell everyone smoking and gambling was wrong, despite the fact that much of their hardcore fanbase are professional sports wagerers (and some are marijuana users). Yet, now that marijuana and sports betting are becoming legal in more and more places, the NFL and its Players’ Association are embracing that change as they all take a piece of the finances available to them.
I am fully aware that Tony Dungy is a very spiritual person, and part of why he is against gambling is based upon the work he does to help people who have addictions. This is not, however, the first time the NFL and its franchises have taken a dive into gambling of any kind; for years people in the New York Tri-State area were able to buy scratch-off lottery tickets with the logos of the Bills, Jets and Giants. Yet, I never heard Tony Dungy speak out against those or any other state-back lottery games. Now, because the NFL is supporting it and will allow commercials from these companies it has somehow became more wrong than it was years ago?
I can offer my respect to Tony Dungy for sticking to his beliefs while staring down the winds of change; after all, he pointed out that he would have never drafted Michael Sam, a gay college football player because “things (would) be tough,” and “things (would) happen,” a closed-minded approach to how the world is changing around you.
To think that there was no gambling around the NFL when Tony Dungy played is just silly, because legal or not, anyone who wants to place a bet knows where to go and who to talk to. So, with the NFL grabbing the money it can, Tony Dungy now wants to be the moral police, but was the first to be by the side of Michael Vick after he was let out of jail for being involved in dog fighting. This “do what I say” mentality forces us to believe that Dungy is the Chief of the Morality Police, and whatever he says should be the rule of law no matter what anyone else thinks.
Sorry, sir, but that’s not how life works anymore, and as someone who is no longer directly involved in the game, your opinion may matter to some about these issues, but that number is growing smaller with each comment you make about matters outside of what happens on the field. The game has passed you by Tony Dungy, but that’s OK, it happens to all of us, just don’t be shy about admitting it and, more importantly, accepting it. Because trust me, those watching you on television already have and will be tuning you out even more during the upcoming NFL season.
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Has The NFL Passed Tony Dungy By? | TooAthletic.com
The post Has The NFL Passed Tony Dungy By? appeared first on TOOATHLETIC TAKES.
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By: Rafael Thomas
Title: Has The NFL Passed Tony Dungy By?
Sourced From: tooathletic.com/has-the-nfl-passed-tony-dungy-by/
Published Date: Sun, 05 Sep 2021 18:37:23 +0000
