Anyone who has tuned into the NBC Sports ‘Football Night in America’ Show before this year would be familiar with Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison. But in February 2026, the NFL studio analyst and former Indianapolis Colts head coach parted ways with NBC Sports, marking the end of his 17-season career with the network. The 71-year-old has now opened up about his plans away from football.
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During his appearance in the October 14 episode of The Sage Steele Show, Dungy was asked if he had considered running for office. Although the Hall of Famer stated that he had no plans to do so right now, his comments suggested there was a chance he might do so in the future.
“I don’t think there’s a chance. But never say never,” Dungy said. “I think politics is right now the way our political process is, it’s hard to run unless you get in a party and then you go for everything that the party says. And I don’t think I could ever do that. So, because I’m too much of an individual and I believe this and I’m going to stand for what the Bible says.”
As a devout Christian, Dungy has always been vocal about his religious views and his pro-life stance, which many speculated may have led to NBC’s decision to fire him. During his discussion with Steele, the Hall of Famer also addressed the rumors about whether his views outside of football had contributed to the network’s decision.
“There are some things that I guess in TV especially, they want you to be careful because they want to attract everybody,” Dungy said. “They want to have an audience of everyone. They don’t always appreciate you speaking about your faith. But for me, I’m always going to do that and I’m going to try to do it in a respectful way, but people are going to know that I’m a Christian. So that part is never going to leave”
The former analyst’s comments suggested that he felt that politics took a similar route and was more focused on garnering the support of the audience watching a political leader, rather than sticking strictly to what they considered morally correct.
Although Dungy is not officially affiliated with any political party, his endorsement of former NBC colleague Michele Tafoya during her 2026 U.S. Senate campaign in Minnesota made his stance clear. He also campaigned alongside Florida Governor Ron DeSantis against Florida’s Amendment 4 abortion ballot measure in 2024.
In fact, he revealed on The Sage Steele Show that NBC was not happy about him attending or speaking at the annual March For Life rally in Washington D.C. in 2023. They had reached out to him about the move, protesting that his speaking at the event could drive away audiences who were upset with the analyst.
Speaking on his split from NBC, he admitted that it was hard to handle the news that the network had decided to go in a different direction, even though he had expected the network to make such a call sooner or later.
“I just knew that the direction that they wanted to go with the show and some of the things that had happened there,” Dungy added. “And the fact that you really don’t stay 15, 20 years usually at one place. I just felt like it was coming.”
After leaving NBC, Dungy did not pick up another television contract. He also revealed that he has no plans to go back to coaching either.
Instead, the Hall of Famer started a new digital media and content venture called ‘Road to Sunday’ in September. The show primarily features player interviews, lifestyle content, and personal interactions between sports personalities.