Tony Dungy is used to making history.
He was one of the Big Ten’s first black quarterbacks at the University of Minnesota in the 1970s. He was a defensive reserve on the famed “Steel Curtain” defense of the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. After his playing days were over, he started coaching, eventually becoming one of the first black coordinators — and the youngest — in NFL history in the 1980s. In 1996, he became only the fourth black head coach in modern NFL history.
The Super Bowl is America’s chief secular holiday, and our most-watched event in pop culture every year. In 2006, Mr. Dungy became the first black head coach to ever win a Super Bowl, which also makes him just the sixth person ever to win a Super Bowl as both a player and a head coach. Three of Mr. Dungy’s former assistants, all black, have also gone on to be head coaches who led their teams to Super Bowls as well.
Now retired from football and working part-time in broadcasting, Mr. Dungy is still making history. His memoir, “Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life,” became the first NFL-related book to ever reach No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list. He has since written two more best-sellers as well.
To be sure, Mr. Dungy has become an inspirational figure for millions. A symbol of the success of the civil rights movement, which is why I regret to now inform you that Mr. Dungy has become a bigot. That’s right, Mr. Dungy has apparently made history again. Mr. Dungy has become the first civil rights icon to become a bigot in American history. This is the price you pay when you dare to defy the fundamentalist group-think of what lesbian conservative Tammy Bruce calls the “Gay Gestapo.”
And now Mr. Dungy has become Keith Olbermann’s “worst person in the world.” Time out, for a second. I just realized I probably told most of you reading this for the first time that Mr. Olbermann is still on television. Yeah, he’s on ESPN Ocho or something. Who knew, right?
Anyhoo, back to Mr. Dungy — someone you actually do know and care about. When asked if he would have drafted Michael Sam, the first pro football player to openly admit he likes having sex with other guys, Mr. Dungy told the Tampa Tribune: “I wouldn’t have taken him. Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it. It’s not going to be totally smooth … things will happen.’’
Obviously 31 of the NFL’s 32 franchises agree with Mr. Dungy, whose football pedigree is above reproach, because collectively they passed on Mr. Sam 248 times before his home-state St. Louis Rams selected him with one of the final seven picks in the three-day draft held back in May. Immediately after getting drafted, Mr. Sam and his boyfriend staged America’s first televised homosexual cake-smash make-out session, which was joyfully beamed into every American family’s home by ESPN.
And then Michael “I just want to be a football player” Sam agreed to do a reality show for Oprah’s network, because lots of seventh-round picks get one of those. Or never. That reality show was later iced due to a backlash from those pointing out it’s tough to be seen as “just another football player” when you’re doing the rainbow celebrity circuit at the same time.
Several of the Cultural Marxists in the lamestream media, most of them white mind you, are now casting stones at Mr. Dungy. Because apparently owning a degree in journalism from a university most black kids mired in under-performing government schools sadly can’t qualify for, teaches you about discrimination or something. So now these white elites presume to lecture Mr. Dungy, who has been breaking color barriers since Peter Frampton came alive, about bigotry and diversity. All the while calling him names in the name of “tolerance,” of course.
Several of these Cultural Marxists have made sure to point out that Mr. Dungy is an evangelical Christian who — gasp! — actually believes in man-woman marriage. You know, the only kind of marriage. By pointing out this as their alleged source of Mr. Dungy’s bias they are ironically pointing out their own bias. They’re proving yet again they never intended for free speech/religious liberty and “the new tolerance” to co-exist, just as people like me warned you all along.
“Tolerance” is now “you will be made to care.” If you happen to lose your freedom in the process of being made to care that’s OK too, because “you had it coming bigot.” Have you noticed every time we turn onto Tolerance Blvd. it’s a one-way street? Weird.
To prove that Mr. Dungy was way off in asserting he wouldn’t draft Sam because of the controversy, the Left has incited a — get this — controversy. You know, like those Islamo-Fascists who protest criticisms their ideology is violent by violently protesting.
All this proves Christian blogger Matt Walsh is correct. Those of us still bitterly clinging to our guns and our Bibles are not up against a competing belief system. As Mr. Walsh puts it, what we’re really up against is “truly a mindless cult.” If the Cultural Marxists can’t make room in their brave, new world for a classy, dignified and gentle-spirit Christian like Mr. Dungy, then there’s no hope for the rest of us.
(Steve Deace is a nationally syndicated talk show host and the author of “Rules for Patriots: How Conservatives Can Win Again.” You can like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @SteveDeaceShow.)
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