Dungy confirms he'll return after week with family
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<!-- end bylinebox -->01-22-2006
<!-- begin text11 div --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!-- begin leftcol --><!-- template inline -->Tony Dungy, who seemed conflicted about whether to return after Indianapolis' loss last week, told ESPN's Chris Mortensen on Sunday morning he would definitely return as Colts head coach.
Dungy
"I'm full-speed ahead," Dungy told Mortensen. "We're disappointed with how the season ended, we've got some things to fix and some personnel issues, but we're getting started on them."
Dungy spent the week in Florida with his family to reflect on his plans, even though he had pretty much assured the Colts he was coming back. There had been speculation near the end of the season Dungy would contemplate retirement following the suicide death of his 18-year-old son, James.
Last Monday, one day after the Colts' dream season ended in a 21-18 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Divisional playoff, Dungy said at that moment, "it's 100 percent I'll be back," but didn't know "how I'll feel in the next four or five days when I'm relaxing."
But after spending the week with his family, Dungy confirmed to Mortensen he would indeed return.
Dungy signed a three-year contract extension in September and won his 100th game less than two weeks after turning 50, but his son's death Dec. 22 changed his perspective and forced him to put serious thought toward his future on the sidelines.
"That's one of the blessings from my son's situation is that it puts everything in perspective," he said last week. "I'm sure I'll get over [the loss to the Steelers] a lot quicker than I will my son. It's a tough deal, but there are a lot more important things in scope of it than us not winning a Super Bowl."
Dungy traveled to Indianapolis on Sunday to join Colts president and general manager Bill Polian before the pair's trip to the Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala., this week.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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<!-- end pagetitle --><!-- begin bylinebox -->ESPN.com news services
<!-- begin presby2 -->
<!-- end presby2 -->
<!-- end bylinebox -->01-22-2006
<!-- begin text11 div --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!-- begin leftcol --><!-- template inline -->Tony Dungy, who seemed conflicted about whether to return after Indianapolis' loss last week, told ESPN's Chris Mortensen on Sunday morning he would definitely return as Colts head coach.
Dungy
"I'm full-speed ahead," Dungy told Mortensen. "We're disappointed with how the season ended, we've got some things to fix and some personnel issues, but we're getting started on them."
Dungy spent the week in Florida with his family to reflect on his plans, even though he had pretty much assured the Colts he was coming back. There had been speculation near the end of the season Dungy would contemplate retirement following the suicide death of his 18-year-old son, James.
Last Monday, one day after the Colts' dream season ended in a 21-18 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Divisional playoff, Dungy said at that moment, "it's 100 percent I'll be back," but didn't know "how I'll feel in the next four or five days when I'm relaxing."
But after spending the week with his family, Dungy confirmed to Mortensen he would indeed return.
Dungy signed a three-year contract extension in September and won his 100th game less than two weeks after turning 50, but his son's death Dec. 22 changed his perspective and forced him to put serious thought toward his future on the sidelines.
"That's one of the blessings from my son's situation is that it puts everything in perspective," he said last week. "I'm sure I'll get over [the loss to the Steelers] a lot quicker than I will my son. It's a tough deal, but there are a lot more important things in scope of it than us not winning a Super Bowl."
Dungy traveled to Indianapolis on Sunday to join Colts president and general manager Bill Polian before the pair's trip to the Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala., this week.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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