A retired former coach defended his recent comments about promoting fatherhood, saying that his purpose is "serving the Lord."
On Monday, Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 7065 into law. Tony Dungy, a retired former Hall-of-fame NFL coach of the Indianapolis Colts was at the press conference, where he unveiled an initiative to promote fatherhood, sharing that his purpose is "serving the Lord."
House Bill 7065 earned unanimous support from both the House of Representatives and Senate of Florida, the Christian Post reported. The newly passed bill will allot $70 million for initiatives designed to urge and support fathers to take a more active role in raising their children. Throughout the press conference, speakers highlighted the long-term consequences of growing up with an absent father.
During the press conference, Dungy recalled how he once visited a prison ministry led by Pastor Abe Brown, where he expected "to see grizzled, hard, tough, older guys." Instead, the 66 year old NFL Hall-Of-Fame coach encountered "19 and 20 and 21-year-old kids." He recounted how on the way home, he asked Rev. Brown, "How do those young boys get here?"
"[Rev. Brown] told me, 'It's not socioeconomic, it's not racial, it's not education, it's none of that. Ninety-five percent of these boys did not grow up with their dad,'" Dungy shared. It was this experience visiting the prison ministry that pushed him to establish All Pro Dad, a fatherhood program of Family First, a national non-profit organization based in Tampa, Florida.
Dungy shared that the charity works to "provide guidance and practical tips in raising your kids in a life-giving way."
But Mediaite contributor Juwan Holmes took to Twitter on Monday to debunk Dungy's remarks, saying that he "lives in fantasy land with the rest of the Trump/DeSantis fanboys." The writer argued, "This myth has been statistically debunked year after year, and even the most absurd claims aren't anywhere near '95%'."
Holmes linked to stories by Vox and the Washington Post on the "ugly stereotype" surrounding Black fathers and their alleged "absence." The stories pointed out how 71.5% of Black, non-Hispanic children in 2013 were born to unmarried women versus 29.3% of white, non-Hispanic children. The report added that this doesn't mean that 71.5% of Black dads are absent from their homes, instead, they are "simply unmarried."
The statistics also showed that while Black dads "are at least as likely to remain involved in their children's lives as those of other races," they are in fact "more likely than their white and Hispanic counterparts to feed, eat with, bathe, diaper, dress, play with, and read to their children on a daily basis."
Dungy acknowledged the criticism, taking to Twitter on Wednesday to say that former President Barack Obama made similar comments in 2008 about the importance of fatherhood, saying that he assumes that people are "outraged at him too." He remained steadfast in his purpose, adding that "I am serving the Lord so I'll keep supporting dads and families."
