An NFL Hall of Fame football coach turned media commentator is challenging repeated comments by Vice President Kamala Harris that people don’t have to “abandon their faith” to support abortion rights.

Tony Dungy, current NFL television analyst for NBC and former Super Bowl champion head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, took issue Sept. 19 to the Democratic presidential nominee’s statement on X that: “One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree: The government, and certainly Donald Trump, should not be telling a woman what to do with her body.”

Dungy, an outspoken evangelical Christian and adoption advocate, responded on X: “Dear VP Harris: I hear you make this statement all the time. Exactly what ‘faith’ are you talking about when you say you don’t have to abandon it to support abortion? Are you talking about the Christian faith that says all babies are made in the image of God (Gen 1:26), that God places them in the womb (Jer 1:5) and that we should not take any life unjustly (Luke 18:20)? Are you talking about that faith or some nebulous, general ‘faith’ that says we’re good enough, and smart enough to make our own decisions? What ‘faith’ are you talking about?”

On Friday, Franklin Graham posted on Facebook his support of Dungy’s unwavering Biblical stance on the sanctity of human life. “Following Jesus Christ in faith means following what God’s Word teaches—which is that He made us and loves us and has given us His Word for our own good and protection,” Franklin wrote.

Dungy also reposted former NFL tight end Benjamin Watson’s tweet over a Sept. 17 Harris tweet, which said, “A young mother from Georgia should be alive today, raising her son and pursuing her dream of attending nursing school. This is exactly what we feared when Roe vs. Wade was struck down. In more than 20 states, Trump Abortion Bans prevent doctors from providing basic medical care.”

Watson challenged Harris’ assertion by posting: “Amber Thurman’s tragic death was caused by complications from legal abortion drugs and gross medical malpractice, She should have been treated immediately by physicians who instead waited too long to act. Georgia’s pro-life law is not the issue. It does not criminalize doing a D&C, especially when there is no detectable fetal heart rate. Amber should be alive, and [Harris] should focus her attention on these facts so we can prevent the next tragedy rather than promoting politically motivated falsehoods.”

Dungy, 68, who played defensive back for the 1979 Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers and became the first black head coach in the NFL to win a Super Bowl in 2007 with the Indianapolis Colts, is now an NFL analyst and commentator for NBC Sunday Night Football. 

The New York Times bestselling author was unfazed by the backlash in the media he received for speaking last year at the March for Life rally in Washington, D.C.

“I’m speaking for the Lord,” Dungy told Decision. “I see so many examples in the Bible where God spoke about people in the womb. And God said in Psalm 139, He’s watching over us while we grow there. So, that tells me that’s a life that He values. So, I don’t care what anybody else says, because they don’t trump God’s Word.”

In the 90-minute presidential debate with former President Donald Trump, moderated Sept. 10 by ABC News, Harris advocated strongly for abortion rights. During the debate she called for restoring Roe v. Wade. “I pledge to you when Congress passes a bill to put back in place the protections of Roe v. Wade, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law.”

The Biden-Harris administration has endorsed a bill that goes beyond Roe, allowing abortion until birth nationwide. The Democratic Party platform also supports taxpayer-funded abortions in the United States and around the world.

And last January, Harris’ vice presidential running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed the Protection of Reproductive Options (PRO) Act, which allows unlimited abortion-on-demand until birth. 

As governor, Walz has also removed a requirement that babies born alive during botched abortions receive potentially life-saving care. He also increased government payments to abortionists, curtailed funding for pro-life pregnancy resource centers, and rescinded a requirement that abortionists adequately inform mothers about the possibly life-threatening procedure they’re about to undergo.