I'm Disappointed in Tony Dungy for Being Disappointed in Mr. Kraft

“I coached 13 years as a head coach, every year my first message to the team was we want to win Super Bowls. Yes, we want to be talented, but we have to be role models. These kids in our country look up to NFL players and coaches, and I really think this sent the wrong message. I know coaches want to win, but I am disappointed in Robert Kraft. I think at some point you have to say as an organization we’re not going to do this.”
– Tony Dungy

Mother of God. It’s time to ask the question: Is there a more insufferable, preachy, self-righteous twit in America than Tony Dungy?

Seriously, who talks like this? What adult honestly goes around thinking that the goal of a football team is to be role models and send messages? As opposed to, I don’t know, actually winning. You know who kids look up to? Winners. Achievers. Guys with confetti in their hair and champagne on their breath and rings on their fingers.

And where does anyone get off saying they’re “disappointed” in the decisions of another grown man? The only person will the balls to say something like this is someone who’s convinced they are holier-than-thou enough to sit in judgment of everybody else. The only person who ever used the phrase “I’m disappointed in you” is my mother. She had the moral authority to because she raised me and taught me right from wrong. Believe me, I’ve disappointed a lot of people, but she was the only won who’d earned the right to be “disappointed” by my choices.

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What’s St. Anthony of Indianapolis’ excuse? Because he talks about football on NBC? Because he’s a holy man who has a text thread going with the Almighty and is Facebook friends with Jesus? I go to church too. Most Some of the time. That doesn’t give me ego enough to think I’m justified to feel a crushing sense of let-downishness because a guy I’ve met a couple of times makes a business decision I don’t like. Plus, Dungy used this same term when he was talking about Belichick during Spygate. What a colossal ass.

It would be different if Antonio Brown was an off-the-field amoral guy. If he was out committing a string of bank robberies or putting together a colorful group of expert friends to pull a major casino heist, sure. You could argue that Mr. Kraft is making a deal with the devil and voice your displeasure with the move. But saying you’re disappointed because he signed a free agent who didn’t get along with his last two bosses just smacks of self-entitled, morally superior unctuousness. More designed to say “I am your better” than “I don’t like this move.” Maybe if St. Anthony had been role model enough to be disappointed by Jim Irsay’s dead mistress and pill popping or Marvin Harrison being involved in a shooting at the car wash Harrison owned, he’d have more than one ring to show for those 13 years.