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00:00Find your own way to make the city we're in a better place to live.
00:05Those were the words Tony Dungy shared with his rookies,
00:08a lesson he learned from his time playing in the NFL.
00:12There are words that have weighed on him as he's watched everything unfold over
00:16the last week and a half in our country.
00:18Joining me now is SI senior writer Albert Breer.
00:22Albert, you spoke with Tony Dungy, and
00:24he feels that in times like these, pro athletes do have a responsibility.
00:29What is it that he would like to see athletes do?
00:32Yeah, you know, Caitlin, it's interesting because I think we all focus on
00:35the forward facing responsibility that we feel like these guys have
00:39sometimes to say something publicly and there's pressure on them to speak publicly.
00:43And Dungy did say that he felt like there is a responsibility on athletes to be
00:47leaders in their community, but some guys aren't comfortable with speaking publicly.
00:50Some guys aren't comfortable with putting themselves out there that way.
00:53And so he actually said that it doesn't really matter to him how an athlete
00:57contributes, just as long as he does his part and finds his sphere of influence,
01:02finds where he can make a difference, and then goes in and makes a difference that way.
01:06And so some guys are more comfortable being the guys in front who are speaking
01:09publicly about important issues like this one.
01:12Other people are more comfortable doing their own work behind the scenes without
01:17having television cameras or media or anything else there, and that's fine too.
01:22And so really, I think for Tony, it is a responsibility for
01:26guys to make a difference in their community.
01:28But he allowed that everybody has their own way of accomplishing that.
01:33Right, something he said also was that if you're not speaking,
01:36this is a good time to listen.
01:38And that's something he did getting guidance from Steelers owner Art Rooney and
01:41his father.
01:42How did they impact his belief system and
01:44how is that now in turn helping others that are relying on Dungy during this time?
01:48Sure, well, let's start with his dad.
01:50This is 1968 and a more tumultuous time in America than what we're experiencing
01:55right now, Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, who was the leading
01:59candidate for the presidency at the time, were assassinated within two months of
02:03each other.
02:04And some of the more violent protests were breaking out
02:09on the other side of the state from Tony Dungy.
02:11He grew up 80 miles from Detroit.
02:13And his mother and father addressed him at that time, he was 12 years old.
02:17And said the most important thing is to have love and respect for
02:20everybody around you and to treat people the right way.
02:23And if you start there and work from there, you'll be okay.
02:25So that was one piece of advice he's tried to use going forward.
02:29And then the second piece came about nine years later.
02:32He's a rookie with the Steelers and Art Rooney, the owner of the team,
02:34had a tradition where he would bring the guys in and
02:37he'd have the rookie class after they made the team.
02:39So it was after the final cut down, welcome them to the team,
02:42say he's excited to have them and say, then tell them part of your job
02:47is to make a difference in the community and be a part of the city here.
02:50And Tony Dungy really took that to heart.
02:51His two years with the Steelers, he developed relationships,
02:54the Western Penitentiary,
02:56a jail that was right there in Pittsburgh near the team's facility, and
02:59with the Special Olympics.
03:01And after he was done in Pittsburgh,
03:02he sort of tried to act on Rooney's words for the rest of his life.
03:06And he brought that eventually to the time he was a head coach.
03:09Having the same sort of meeting with his rookies, both in Tampa and
03:13Indianapolis, when he was running those organizations.
03:16And so this is really a lifelong thing for him.
03:18He's really tried to impart that message on them that the young guys can make
03:22a difference.
03:23You gotta find your sphere of influence, wherever that sphere of influence is.
03:27Make your difference there, make a difference in your community.
03:30It's a really a great message at this point, I think, for everybody.
03:33Such a good message.
03:34It's definitely a time that we need change in our country.
03:36And Dungy's reminding us that that change can start in our hearts.
03:39Albert, thanks so much for your insight on this.
03:41I appreciate it.
03:42All right, thanks, Caitlin.