PERSONAL FOUL

This one goes against President Obama for Unsportsmanlike Conduct. Or conduct unbecoming of an elected official, let alone the leader of the free world. The President, it seems, has invited Super Bowl coach Tony Dungy to serve on the newly created White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. The concept isn't a bad idea at all. APGG has a fairly good handle how human services are delivered to communities in need and the faith-based community does it pretty well.

What stinks, though, is his choice of Dungy to serve on the panel. The President has either learned nothing from the Rick Warren inauguration debacle or when it comes to matters of faith, simply chooses to antagonize and divide.

Dungy, you see, endorsed a 2007 Indiana ballot initiative to ban gay marriage and similar legal arrangements for gay couples. He touted his support at a banquet sponsored by the Indiana Family Institute, a conservative Christian group associated with Focus on the Family. This is the same Focus on the Family that asked people to pray for "rain of biblical proportions" during Barack Obama's appearance at Invesco Field to accept the Democratic nomination for president.

Back to the aforementioned banquet, which featured a veritable who's who of Indiana "white and right (wing)" elite. Dungy regaled the crowd by telling them:

"I feel like telling people when they look at this issue of same-sex marriage . . . I'm not on anybody's side. I'm on the Lord's side." He added for clarity. "IFI (Indiana Family Institute) is saying what the Lord says. You can take that and you can make the decision on which way you want to be."

Oh, It gets better..."We're not trying to downgrade anyone else, but we're trying to promote the family—family values the Lord's way."

It seems that Coach Dungy feels that he's an expert on more than X's and O's. He's got a PhD in morality too. And that's sad. Because more than anyone, for reasons too sensitive and painful to chronicle here, he should (now) appreciate the importance of family and being loved. The President would be wise to reconsider his appointment of Dungy to the faith-based panel. And focus on candidates that understand that all-important biblical message. Tolerance.