Tony Dungy is backing Michele Tafoya in Minnesota’s Senate race, but he has no plans to enter politics himself. Less than two weeks after telling Sage Steele, “I don’t think there’s a chance. But never say never,” Dungy’s endorsement became part of Tafoya’s campaign as the November 3 election approaches.

“Tony Dungy is a man of integrity I’ve known for over 30 years, a Hall of Fame coach and Super Bowl champion who got his start right here in Minnesota,” Michele Tafoya announced on Instagram. “I’m honored to have him on our team in this election.”

When asked if he’d run, Dungy said he doesn’t think there’s a chance, though he wouldn’t rule it out entirely. For now, he is supporting Tafoya, his former colleague at NBC, who is the Republican nominee in Minnesota’s open Senate race.

Dungy, 71, explained his hesitation.

“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,” he said. “I’m too much of an individual, and I believe this, and I’m going to stand for what the Bible says.”

Dungy first endorsed Tafoya in a video on May 26, before her August 11 primary. He said then that Tafoya “is the real deal.” She won just over half the vote, ahead of the party-endorsed Adam Schwarze.

Dungy lives in Florida. His Minnesota ties are real, though. He played quarterback for the Gophers, from where he also started his coaching career as defensive backs coach in 1980, and served as the defensive coordinator for the Vikings from 1992 to 1995. He and Tafoya worked together on NBC’s Sunday night pregame coverage for more than a decade.

The Athletic reported in late February that NBC was likely to move on from Dungy. He confirmed on March 12 that he wouldn’t return to Football Night in America after 17 seasons.

Dungy has said NBC told him and fellow analyst Rodney Harrison it wanted to get younger and change the voices on the show. He also told Steele he thought his faith may have played a part.

“They don’t always appreciate you speaking about your faith,” he said. “But for me, I’m always going to do that.”

He added that NBC objected when he spoke at the 2023 March for Life. NBC hasn’t publicly tied his exit to his views. His politics didn’t begin with Tafoya. On October 29, 2024, Dungy joined Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a Clearwater event opposing Amendment 4, the state’s abortion-rights ballot measure.

“You can vote for or against it, but please know what you’re voting for,” he said.

The measure did not get the support it needed to pass.

The Senate seat is open because Sen. Tina Smith is retiring. Tafoya is running against Democratic candidate Minnesota’s Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.

RealClearPolling’s average from October 2 to 21 showed Flanagan at 46.6% and Tafoya at 43.2%. An early October poll by the Minnesota Star Tribune and KARE 11 showed Flanagan leading 47% to 43%, a gap within the poll’s margin of error. No Republican has won a Senate election in Minnesota since 2002.

There’s no public data on how much endorsements like Dungy’s move voters. That part is analysis. A nationally known name could help with football fans and with Minnesotans who remember him from the Gophers, but the race is close enough that turnout is likely to matter.

What happens on November 3 will show whether a former coach’s name still carries weight beyond football.