Will He Stay or Will He Go?

The past several seasons it’s been a question whether or not Tony Dungy will continue coaching. Dungy, someone who has never considered himself a football “lifer” and expected himself to be retired at age 50 (he’s currently 53), seriously pondered retirement after coaching the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl win last year. But after meeting with owner Jim Irsay and talking the entire situation through with his wife, Dungy decided to instead coach another season before re-evaluating the situation.

Rumors of his retirement heated up this week when it was learned that Dungy’s children have transferred schools from Indianapolis to the Tampa area.

The Colts, however, are doing whatever is necessary to sway Dungy’s decision towards continuing the legacy he has built in Indianapolis. Recent reports from ESPN indicate that the team has offered him “tremendous options” and “flexibility.”

Notice the report doesn’t mention “salary” or “money”. At this point, I think it’s fair to assess that the decision is ultimately going to come down to Dungy and whether or not he’d like to spend more time with his family, and especially his children, or continue his passion for coaching. Money is not a factor in his decision. The flexibility the report mentions concerns the use of a private jet that would allow Dungy to travel between Indianapolis and Tampa, and as much as four months of “off” time during the offseason which Dungy could spend with his family.

Dungy, who had his extremely popular memoir Quiet Strength published last year, has proven over the years that his method of coaching, something which has also been adopted by Chicago’s Lovie Smith, works at the highest level. Despite coaching his players without ever (ever) cursing, Dungy has developed one of the winningest franchises in the NFL while earning the deepest respect and admiration of his players.

Just as the NFL needs a team like the New England Patriots and a coach like Bill Belichick to hate, it needs a coach like Tony Dungy and a team like the Patriots to love. In a league where the seriousness of the sport has corrupted players and coaches who stoop to cheating to maintain job security, Dungy shines as a beacon of hope, a role model worth emulating.

Whatever Dungy’s decision, be it to coach or work even more within the community and enjoy the precious moments he has with his family, at least we can be certain it is his own decision, influenced by what matters most in life; not football or money.