Tony Dungy Deletes Tweet Promoting Anti-Transgender Rhetoric

The former Buccaneers and Colts coach deleted the tweet after about seven hours.

Former Buccaneers and Colts coach Tony Dungy attracted a firestorm of criticism Wednesday for posting and later deleting a tweet that appeared to endorse a transphobic urban myth.

The Daily Wire, a prominent conservative website, tweeted a video of a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives discussing the possibility of placing menstrual products in men’s restrooms, ostensibly geared toward transgender men.

In response, Dungy tweeted, “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.”

The tweet drew widespread condemnation and was deleted after about seven hours. The myth Dungy tweeted has been widely debunked, including by NBC News and PolitiFact. Dungy is currently an analyst for NBC Sports, and he called an AFC wild-card game between the Jaguars and Chargers on Saturday.

Dungy, who coached Indianapolis to victory in Super Bowl XLI, has attracted criticism in the past for his statements on LGBTQ issues. When the Rams drafted openly gay defensive lineman Michael Sam in 2014, Dungy said he would not have made the pick “not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it.”