Source: Wikimedia commons

Source: Wikimedia commons

Tony Dungy, best known for winning Super Bowl XLI as coach for the Indianapolis Colts, is rumored to be a top pick for the White House Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Dungy has been controversial for his associations with religious right leaders, prompting protests at his appearance at the University of Minnesota several years ago.

Dungy played football for the Golden Gophers in the early 1970s, and, in addition to the leading the Colts, he was the defensive backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings from 1992 to 1995.

Dungy sparked a minor controversy in 2007 when he was honored at the Indiana Family Institute and said in a speech that he supported a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and a ban on marriage-like benefits.

“We’re not trying to downgrade anyone else. But we’re trying to promote the family — family values the Lord’s way,” Dungy said at the IFI event. His statements generated criticism among local Indiana and national LGBT groups.

The Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United for Separation of Church and State criticized the Obama administration’s decision to appoint Dungy.

“I am surprised and disappointed that Dungy has been asked to serve on the council. His view that civil-marriage law should reflect religious doctrine is not in keeping with the Constitution,” Lynn said. “It is extremely important for the advisory council to uphold civil rights and civil liberties, and I am concerned that Coach Dungy is far from the best person to do that.”