One of the most important Black figures in the history of the National Football League is Tony Dungy. Tony Dungy often finds himself in situations that impede the community that he wants to do right by. Two things can be true at the same time.
A new bill was signed into law in Florida this week that will provide $70 million in funding to various programs that address fatherhood, including things like mentorship programs for at-risk youth and services that will give fathers the necessary resources to handle their children.
I asked Abe Brown how those young boys get into prison. He told me that it is not socio-economic, it is not racial, and it is not education. At the press conference, Dungy explained that most of the boys didn't grow up with their dad. The man who was the head coach of the Buccaneers was on hand because he supports the bill and his organization helps men.
It sounds like a great idea.
Wrong.
The spirit of the letter of the law is problematic because it is written with code. You can be sure that the terms at-risk youth and child support are being used to refer to people in Black and Brown communities. Being a baby daddy with child support issues isn't reserved for black people.
Helping fathers rehabilitate their situations and homes isn't the issue, it's something that seems so pure on first glance. When you realize where the bill was signed into the law, who authorized it, and how Dungy is being used to make this look like a feel-good story, respectability politics are so damaging.
House Bill 7065 was signed into law on Monday by Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, who was flanked by his children and fathers of different races. The image is different from the one we saw last month.
As he snapped at a group of students from the University of South Florida, he said, "You do not have to wear those masks." It is not doing anything. We have to stop at this theater. If you want to wear it, you can, but this is ridiculous.
There have been more than 73,000 deaths of COVID-19 in Florida. The man that was elected to govern them believes that wearing masks is satire.
While in office, he has done a lot to make Florida the worst state in the nation, but he has also been in the news recently for being the first governor to sign the Don't Say Gay law.
He figured that it was a good idea to be surrounded by youth when he was about to say something that was contrary to the image he was trying to portray.
Let's get back to Dungy, and why his approving of legislation that DeSantis signed into law is on-brand for him, as he is often an apologist for racists.
The law that was signed on Monday will allow groups like ours, people like you, to do great things.
God don't like ugly. Being gay is one of the ugliest things a person can be. Both of them are Homophobes.
When Michael Sam was trying to become the first openly gay player in the NFL, he was not drafted by the team.
The kneeling began a few years later. It was a good look for him to be the Black apologist that bigots needed to get on TV and talk about why they didn't bring awareness to racism and police brutality. The league tried to put on a workout for the quarterback, but he circumvented it and decided to return to the field. Three years later, he is still working out and posting videos about his desire to return to the league.
The first black coach to win a Super Bowl was Tony Dungy. The Indianapolis Colts announced the first two members of the inaugural Tony Dungy Diversity Fellowship that will provide the organization with access to talented coaches while also fostering and expanding the team's diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Tony Dungy is a man that has built bridges and knocked down walls in the name of inclusion and diversity. Tony Dungy has been used by Conservatives to the detriment of Black and Brown people because of his obstruction of progress with his words. Two things can be true at the same time.
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