WWW- Tony Dungy, who has been on a magical ride with the Colts this season, is now dealing with unfathomable heartache after the apparent suicide of his 18-year-old son James at James' apartment in the Tampa area.
"Based on evidence at the scene, indications are that the death appears to be a suicide," a news release from the Hillsborough County sheriff's office said yesterday. "There is no other information to contradict that at this time. However, the autopsy has not been completed."
Dick Bailey, a spokesman for the county's medical examiner, told the Daily News, "The police were saying there is a high probability of suicide. We haven't conducted our investigation yet. We haven't yet conducted an autopsy."
James Dungy's girlfriend found him when she returned to the Campus Lodge Apartments in Lutz, Fla., at about 1:30 a.m. yesterday. He was not breathing. A sheriff's deputy performed CPR before he was taken to University Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy is scheduled for today. He was a student at the University of South Florida.
Tony Dungy, one of the most respected and popular coaches in the NFL, coached the Bucs from 1996-2001 and helped resurrect that franchise. He was hired by the Colts in 2002.
James Dungy spent his senior year of high school in Indianapolis and graduated this year. He is the second oldest of Tony and Lauren Dungy's five children.
"Players were surprised and upset emotionally about it," Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said. "Everybody said a team prayer for Coach Dungy and his family. It's laying on the hearts of all the players here today."
Asked how hard it will be for Dungy to come back and coach the team, Colts GM Bill Polian, who spoke with Dungy several times yesterday, said from Indianapolis, "I think he'll do his best and his best will be plenty good enough. But it won't be easy. He's unshakable in his faith and he's a role model for everyone in the building. He wants us to carry on and that's what we will do."
Debbie Carter, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, said Dungy and his family were in Tampa yesterday meeting with law enforcement officials and visiting James' apartment.
"I cannot imagine from a parent's perspective how tragic the whole thing is for Tony and Lauren," Falcons GM Rich McKay, who hired Dungy in Tampa, said from Atlanta.
Jets coach Herm Edwards, who is extremely close to Dungy, remembers James sitting on his lap when he and Dungy worked together in Kansas City from 1990-91.
"Kind of puts everything in perspective when something like that happens," he said. "You get all hung up in football, winning and losing. When you lose a child, that's tough. Pretty tough on everybody."
James Dungy grew to be 6-7, towering over his father. He played defensive end on his high school football team. Those who knew him said he was more into computers than sports. He was a constant presence around his father's football teams, in effect growing up in the Bucs' locker room. Bucs fullback Mike Alstott said they considered him part of the team.
Dungy flew on owner Jim Irsay's plane to Tampa yesterday. The craft was visible to the players and coaches from the Bucs' practice field, which is located next to the Tampa airport.
"Jamie was always around," McKay said. "Tony has a very open locker room. All the players said what a nice, unassuming kid he was. One year he was a small guy. One year he was a big man. He grew a lot. He was a good-natured kid."
The Colts, whose run at an undefeated season ended last weekend after a 13-0 start, will be in Seattle this weekend without their coach. Jim Caldwell, the assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach, will take over Dungy's duties. It is not clear when Dungy will rejoin the team. The Colts will go into the playoffs as the AFC's No. 1 seed and favored to get to the Super Bowl. They will not play another meaningful game until the divisional round of the playoffs Jan. 14-15. If he gets that far, Dungy would be the first African-American coach to get his team to the Super Bowl.
Dungy has a quiet, unassuming manner. He rarely raises his voice. It's rare in this business that somebody is universally liked - but Dungy is. Now he's going to need the support of those people to help him get through this tragedy.
"He has consistency in his life, a consistency in his approach to life," McKay said. "He's more impressive the more you know him."
C.E. Quandt, the principal of North Central High School in Indianapolis where James Dungy was a student last year, said, "He just came in and tried to blend in and be a student. I liked James a lot."
