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Football Night in America (FNIA), branded for sponsorship purposes as Football Night in America is an American pre-game show that is broadcast on NBC, preceding its broadcasts of Sunday night and postseason National Football League (NFL) games. Since NBC held the national television rights to Super Bowl XLIII that year, a five-hour edition of the pre-game show aired starting at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on February 1, 2009. Bob Costas anchored with Cris Collinsworth as co-host, recently retired coaches Mike Holmgren and Tony Dungy, along with former Lions executive Matt Millen.
Anthony Kevin Dungy who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts, led the Colts to victory in Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears, making him the first African-American head coach to win the Super Bowl. Dungy recently responded to a tweet from The Daily Wire that showed a video of state Rep. Sandra Feist (Minn.) advocating for state schools to place menstrual products in all bathrooms. The former Buccaneers (1996-2001) and Colts (2002-08) coach responded to that tweet, saying, "That's nothing. Some school districts are putting litter boxes in the school bathrooms for the students who identify as cats. Very important to address every student's needs."Dungy's response is a widely debunked hoax that claims children who identify as cats are accommodated in school systems. He later deleted the tweet before a spokesperson issued a statement to Defector on his behalf: "I saw a tweet yesterday and I responded to it in the wrong way," Dungy's statement reads. "As a Christian I should speak in love and in ways that are caring and helpful. I failed to do that and I am deeply sorry." Dungy became a football star while playing for the University of Minnesota, and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers after graduation.“I was 21 years old and coach Chuck Noll] said to us,‘Men, I want to welcome you to the National Football League. You’re now going to get paid to play football. So that makes it your profession. But don’t make football your life. If you make football your whole life, you’re gonna be disappointed,’” he remembered. “And I was like, ‘Wow, are you kidding me?’ Well, up to this point, it kind of [had] been my whole life.”
Media outlets have pounced on Dungy Christian and moral beliefs and the controversial tweet by the former NFL coach have lead many reporters and news writers to question why Dungy previous remarks on controversial topics doesn't lead to his removal from NBC Sunday Night Football. Dungy made an appearance at the "March for Life" rally in Washington, D.C. It is one of the largest anti-abortion demonstrations in the U.S. Dungy alluded to Hamlin in a pro-life speech at the rally, saying people prayed for his recovery because his life was at stake after he suffered cardiac arrest on the field at Paycor Stadium between the Bengals and Bills. He then went on to say "innocent lives are at stake" every day.
"People wanted to see that life saved. These are people who aren’t necessarily religious, they got together and called on God," Dungy said. "Well that should be encouraging us because that’s exactly why we’re here."Because every day in this country, innocent lives are at stake. The only difference is they don’t belong to a famous athlete, and they’re not seen on national TV. But those lives are still important to God and in God’s eyes.” Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a hit to the chest which caused his heart to stop after a tackle during a game in Cincinnati in early January. The rare condition — called commotio cordis — occurs when a severe blow to the chest causes the heart to quiver and stop pumping blood efficiently, leading to sudden cardiac arrest. Hamlin, 25, was administered CPR on the field and hospitalized for more than a week. Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Hamlin was cleared to play after meeting with a third and final specialist. Hamlin told reporters later that the doctors all agreed his cardiac arrest was due to commotio cordis. None of his doctors were present to speak to the media.