Former NFL head coach Tony Dungy is elaborating on comments he made about the NFL’s first openly-gay player.
Dungy issued a statement to clarify his remarks in a “Tampa Tribune” article where he is quoted as saying he would not have drafted former Missouri star Michael Sam because he “wouldn’t want to deal with all of it,” and his transition to the NFL won’t be “totally smooth” and “things will happen.”
The NBC analyst says his comments were made just after the draft and before a proposed Oprah Winfrey reality TV show about Sam’s NFL journey was scrapped.
Dungy says the show would have been a distraction, but Sam absolutely deserves an opportunity to play in the NFL.
He adds that he would not have a problem with Sam playing on his team and his sexual orientation would not play a part in the evaluation process.
The Super Bowl winning coach says his philosophy on drafting players is to “minimize distraction for my teams,” and in hindsight his comments have “played a role in the distraction.”
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