Tony Dungy won’t take any s***.
The former Colts coach said yesterday he thinks NFL commissioner Roger Goodell should speak to Jets coach Rex Ryan about the foul language he’s using on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”
“I would hope that he does,” Dungy said in an interview on “The Dan Patrick Show.” “I don’t know that he will or not, but I would hope that he does because I just don’t think the league needs that. I don’t think our young people need to hear that that’s the way it’s done to be successful. Because it doesn’t have to be that way.”
Dungy said he has not watched the HBO program, which premiered last Wednesday, but has heard about Ryan’s relentless use of four-letter words. The Jets coach has apologized and made sure to call his mom.
Dungy, now an analyst for NBC, said he understands why Ryan and the Jets have adopted an on-the-edge attitude, but it may backfire on them.
“He’s trying to endear himself to his team and he’s doing a great job of it,” Dungy said. “They have created a persona. They felt like they were second fiddle to the Giants and they don’t want to be second fiddle, so they’ve done a lot of things that I wouldn’t necessarily do, but it’s making them feel good about themselves.
“The only problem is the other 31 teams aren’t feeling good about them.”
The former Super Bowl champ, considered one of the league’s classiest figures, said he wouldn’t hire Ryan, due to his language.
“I would not. I personally don’t want my players to be around that. I don’t want to be around that,” Dungy said. “It’s hard for me to be around that, and if I were in charge, no, I wouldn’t hire someone like that.
“Now, I’ve been around F-bombs, so it’s not like it’s new. But I just don’t think that has to be part of your every-minute, everyday vocabulary to get your points across.”