(The Lion) — Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy announced last week he will not be retained by NBC Sports for another season of its football broadcasts, expressing disappointment but also optimism for the future and saying that “God has plans for my life.”
Dungy is one of football’s most respected voices as well as one of its more outspoken Christians, having written faith-centered books such as Quiet Strength while also frequently discussing his beliefs in podcasts, interviews and speeches.
He won a Super Bowl with Indianapolis and oversaw the rise of quarterback Peyton Manning during seven seasons there and finished his 13-year coaching career with a 139–69 record. He previously coached at Tampa Bay.
After retiring from coaching, Tony Dungy joined NBC Sports in 2009 as an analyst on Football Night in America, the show that anchors the network’s Sunday night NFL coverage in the fall. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
He also won a Super Bowl as a player for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I have been informed by NBC that I won’t be back with FNIA this fall and it has given me time to reflect and also to look ahead,” he wrote in a post on X/Twitter Thursday. “It’s disappointing news but I want to thank my NBC family for making the last 17 years so special. I’ll have lasting memories of my time there, especially with Rodney Harrison who has become a tremendous friend.”
I have been informed by NBC that I won’t be back with FNIA this fall and it has given me time to reflect and also to look ahead.
It’s disappointing news but I want to thank my NBC family for making the last 17 years so special. I’ll have lasting memories of my time there,… pic.twitter.com/Q01cHIjkjm
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) March 12, 2026
Harrison is a former NFL player who also is part of Football Night in America.
Dungy said the news has given him time to reflect on the past and consider what the next chapter of his life might hold.
“God has always directed me in these moments and while I’m not sure what the next step will be for me – whether it will be in football, in broadcasting, or getting more involved in church and community outreach – I know God has plans for my life and I can’t wait see them unfold. And I am reminded of one of my favorite verses in the Bible – Romans 8:28. ‘God works all things for His good for those who love the Lord.’”
NBC is one of five networks/streaming services that broadcast NFL games each week during the fall – the others being CBS, Fox, ESPN and Amazon’s Prime Video. It’s not known yet whether Dungy will land elsewhere.
The Athletic reported that the “contracts of fellow NBC analysts Harrison, Devin McCourty, Jason Garrett and Chris Simms” also expired. The network has not yet finalized its lineup for the fall.
Dungy’s face became a familiar presence for Sunday night football fans, and his Bible reflections were a regular feature for followers on X/Twitter, where he often shared devotional thoughts on Sunday mornings while preparing for that night’s game.
He told the Sports Spectrum podcast earlier this year that he wants his public platform to encourage people to think about their faith.
“I sign my autograph every time with Matthew 16:26, and I hope it’s a reminder to people – and it’s so fitting for the National Football League, too – it says, ‘What would it profit a man to gain the whole world if you forfeit your soul?’ And I just want that to be a reminder to people [that] yes, you can get a lot of things in this world, and you can climb a lot of heights, but if you don’t do it the right way, and you don’t have the Lord there in the end, it’s not going to profit you at all.”
(Photo by Dave Adamson, Unsplash)
