Tony Dungy and Family Experience Tragedy
On December 22, 2005, Colts coach Tony Dungy was notified that his eldest son, James Dungy, was found unresponsive in his apartment in Lutz, Florida by James' girlfriend. A deputy from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department performed CPR on the 18-year-old Dungy before an ambulance transported him to University Community Hospital, where James was pronounced dead. The Operations Manager at the Hillsborough County Medical Examiners Department said that the cause of death was an apparent suicide. On February 17, 2006, after the autopsy was performed, Dr. Jacqueline Lee of the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's Office stated that Dungy had hanged himself from a bedroom ceiling fan with a leather belt.
Colts coach Tony Dungy did not perform his usual head coaching duties in the next regular season game for the Colts, as he had taken a brief vacation to mourn the loss of his son. Assistant Head Coach / Quarterbacks Coach Jim Caldwell took over for Dungy in a Week 16 showdown with the Seattle Seahawks, in which the Colts lost, 13–28. Dungy did return to the next game, which happened to be the last game of the regular season. The Colts won that game, 17–13 over the Arizona Cardinals. The Colts dedicated the last two games of the season to James Dungy, with Tony Dungy returning to the sideline in their Divisional Playoff game against Pittsburgh.
Two months before his death, James Dungy had also been treated for a prescription drug overdose on October 21, 2005.
Read more about this topic: 2005 Indianapolis Colts Season
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