Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy spent 17 seasons as an analyst on NBC’s Football Night in America before the network informed him earlier this year that he would not be returning. Now, Dungy has offered his own theory as to why.

During a recent interview, Dungy claimed that NBC was “not happy” with his decision to speak at the anti-abortion March for Life rally, and that he was “pretty sure” his outspokenness about his faith and pro-life views would cost him his job.

Dungy announced on X in March that he had been “informed by NBC” that he wouldn’t be back with the show this fall, thanking his “NBC family” for “making the last 17 years so special.” The network didn’t give a reason, though The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand had reported in February that he was “likely out” as NBC planned to “revamp” the pregame show.

While Dungy spent 17 seasons with the network, his time at NBC wasn’t without controversy. In January 2023, he shared a widely debunked claim that schools were putting litter boxes in bathrooms for students who identify as cats, before deleting the post and issuing an apology.

Days later, he took the stage at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., where he tied the response to Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest to his anti-abortion views.

During a recent interview with Sage Steele on The Sage Steele Show, Steele suggested that Dungy’s exit seemed tied to him being “more and more vocal” about his faith, and he didn’t deny it as he suggested it could have been a reason why the network cut him loose.

“They don’t always appreciate you speaking about your faith,” Dungy said on The Sage Steele Show. “But for me, I’m always going to do that. I’m going to try and do it in a respectful way, but people are going to know that I’m a Christian.”

Dungy added that he didn’t ask NBC for permission before speaking at the March for Life, and that “they were not happy” when he did.

“They knew where I stood. I knew where they stood,” Dungy said. “If somebody asked me a question about my faith and am I a Christian, I’m not going to say no. I’m not going to shy away from it.”

Dungy said that he was “pretty sure” his time at NBC was coming to an end as a result, though he admitted that he couldn’t know for sure.

“I don’t know. And it really doesn’t matter,” he said.

Clearly, Dungy has no regrets about how he handled things.