Tony Dungy on NBC exit: ‘They don’t always appreciate you speaking about your faith’

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, October 17, 2026

Former NFL coach and longtime sportscaster Tony Dungy suggested his pro-life activism and willingness to speak publicly about his Christian faith may have contributed to his departure from NBC Sports, though he said he cannot be certain.

During an episode of “The Sage Steele Show” released Wednesday, Dungy discussed his ouster earlier this year after a 17-year career as an NBC Sports analyst.

Dungy said his bosses told him his dismissal was part of an effort to embrace on-air talent that was “a little younger.” NBC also replaced analysts Rodney Harrison, Chris Simms and Matthew Berry, according to Awful Announcing. 

Steele, another former sportscaster, asked whether his willingness to share his faith and pro-life views might also have factored into the decision.

“They want you to be careful because they want to attract everybody,” Dungy responded, referring to the TV industry. “They don’t always appreciate you speaking about your faith.”

Dungy said that despite the hostility toward Christianity and pro-life views in the entertainment industry, “I’m always going to do that and I’m going to try to do it in a respectful way but people are going to know that I’m a Christian.”

Later, he discussed his appearance at the 2023 March for Life, telling Steele that his bosses at NBC Sports “were not happy that I went.” 

He said NBC’s concern was avoiding alienating viewers whose opinions fall “on all sides of the spectrum.” When his bosses expressed concerns about his participation in the pro-life rally, Dungy said he responded: “I get it, but this is an important topic to me. I was asked to speak and because it was important to me, I did.”

Dungy said he continued to engage in pro-life activism after his appearance at the March for Life and didn't immediately receive pushback from NBC Sports. “We kind of let it go. They knew where I stood. I knew where they stood.” 

“Things that are important to me, I’m going to talk about,” Dungy stressed, clarifying that despite his strong feelings, he wasn't going to “use that platform” of “Sunday Night Football” to engage in pro-life activism.

Pointing to his advocacy against a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution that went before voters in 2024 as a recent example of his pro-life activism, he added, “It was about extending abortion beyond a certain time and it was written very, very deceitfully,” he asserted. 

“I went on social media and said, ‘Hey, if you live in Florida, make sure you read this and understand what they’re saying and understand what you’re voting for.’ And it got a million-something views.”

After conceding that “not everybody was happy with it,” Dungy proclaimed, “I am pro-life, and I’m not going to be ashamed to say that.”

When Steele pressed Dungy as to whether he “felt the end was coming [to his career] at NBC because of his pro-life activism,” Dungy said he was “pretty sure” that it was. “There were things that they didn’t want me to talk about,” he explained. 

He added that he cannot say for certain that his pro-life views led to his career at NBC coming to a close and “it really doesn’t matter."

"I look at it as I was there 17 years and had some great times and great relationships. The Lord has something different for me.” 

At another point during the interview, Dungy credited his upbringing as the motivating factor behind his passion for sharing his faith: “My mom talked to me all the time about it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it, it’s who you do it for. She was a strong Christian lady.” 

While Dungy told Steele that initially, his faith “wasn’t that big of a deal” to him, his perspective changed when he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as a rookie. He praised the NFL team at the time as being “full of strong Christian guys,” one of whom asked him: “Are you a Christian all the time?” 

The question prompted Dungy to reevaluate his faith after he concluded that he couldn't honestly answer in the affirmative because “there are times when I shy away from my faith.” He then began working to become a “Christian all the time.”

Dungy said he later told his mother about his change of heart: “I remember telling mom, ‘I didn’t buy into that all the way, but I’ve seen it now in my NFL career.’” 

“I think they were proud of me by the end,” Dungy maintained, referring to his parents. “I did process it and I did try to live that out.”

Dungy characterized his life as “a tribute to my parents,” adding, “They raised me the right way, and I want to honor them.” He also highlighted his desire to “honor the Lord” as part of a way to “honor the way they raised me.”