Tony Dungy apologizes after spreading debunked anti-trangender conspiracy idea

Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer and NBC analyst Tony Dungy apologized on Saturday after he posted a tweet this week pushing a debunked conspiracy idea about transgender and nonbinary kids.

Dungy replied to a tweet from The Every day Wire on Wednesday that had a video of a Minnesota lawmaker advocating for faculties within the state put menstrual merchandise in boys’ loos, too. This inclusion effort could be executed to permit all individuals who menstruate entry to the correct hygiene merchandise, and it’s a rising pattern throughout the nation.

But Dungy replied to the tweet to push a broadly debunked conspiracy idea, which claimed that faculty districts in america have been “placing litter bins in class loos for college kids who establish as cats.”

This, clearly, is just not true. The hurtful conspiracy theory has been debunked repeatedly in current months.

Dungy deleted his tweet a number of hours later. He then apologized on Saturday, one thing he mentioned he first issued on Thursday however “not everybody noticed it.”

“I noticed a tweet yesterday and I responded to it within the flawed manner,” he wrote. ‘As a Christian I ought to communicate in love and in methods which might be caring and useful. I failed to try this and I’m deeply sorry.”

Dungy’s tweet drew intense backlash, and deservedly so. The conspiracy idea is just being utilized by folks on the political proper as a speaking level to hurt transgender and nonbinary youth. Any such discrimination is on the rise, too. In a brand new ballot from The Trevor Project this week, 45% of transgender and nonbinary youth mentioned they’ve been bullied on-line because of this rhetoric or insurance policies, and greater than half mentioned they critically thought of suicide.

This isn’t the primary time Dungy has discovered himself in a state of affairs like this, both. Dungy has a long history of discriminating against the LGBTQ+ community whereas utilizing his faith as an excuse to take action. He additionally spoke at a March for Stay occasion in Washington, D.C. on Friday and tried to invoke Damar Hamlin — the Buffalo Payments security who collapsed on the sector this season — whereas advocating for an finish to abortion, which was a bizarre leap to make.

Regardless of his tweet this week, Dungy will nonetheless be on the air for NBC’s playoff protection this weekend. He’ll take part within the community’s studio pregame and halftime reveals for the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.