Tony Dungy's son found dead

December 23, 200520 yr

Copycat MySpace Suicides...

That's just goofy.

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December 23, 200520 yr

Very sad news.

I hope Tony isn't on the sidelines Sunday. He needs to be w/ family.

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December 23, 200520 yr

What a sad story.

RIP

Hard to believe James Dungy is related to his father judging by the myspace. His dad seems like a quiet, humble guy. James seems to be the opposite.

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December 25, 200520 yr

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2270870

Apparently, there was a warning in October. So sad.

Updated: Dec. 25, 2005, 10:10 AM ET

Entire team to attend funeral Tuesday in Florida

INDIANAPOLIS -- Jim Caldwell is keeping things in perspective now that he's taken over as coach of the Indianapolis Colts while Tony Dungy deals with the death of his son.

"This game is secondary to life itself and, obviously, there are a lot more important things than this," the assistant head coach said Friday. "But sometimes life throws you a curveball, and you have to adjust."

Colts owner Jim Irsay will charter a plane to take the entire team, including players and staff, to the funeral of James Dungy, 18. Colts players wore "JD" decals on the back of their helmets for Saturday's game in Seattle, won by the Seahawks 28-13.

James Dungy's viewing Monday and funeral Tuesday, at Wilson Funeral Home in Tampa, Fla., are open to the public, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Dungy flew to Tampa on Thursday after his son was found dead in a Florida apartment earlier in the day. A preliminary autopsy report Friday indicated the teen took his life, but the cause of death won't be released until a toxicology examination is finished in four to six weeks, the medical examiner said.

According to police reports, James Dungy told a deputy who arrived at his home Oct. 21 that he was depressed and had taken pills. When emergency services responded to the call, he was taken to a hospital, Hillsborough County Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

Caldwell, who has been shrouded in virtual anonymity outside the innermost NFL circles, now has the daunting task of keeping a 13-2 team focused in as it gets ever so closer to the playoffs.

The daily tests included last Sunday's loss to San Diego, the Colts' first of the season; and their second in a row Sunday, to a Seahawks team that also is 13-2 and clinched home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

But Thursday's news shoved aside any other story lines. Caldwell took over a shaken team that offered its prayers and heartfelt empathy for their coach's family even as team officials continued debating how much, or whether, to play starters against Seattle.

Enter Caldwell, a 28-year coaching veteran who took his first NFL job with Tampa Bay in 2001. He came, with Dungy, to Indianapolis in 2002 as the quarterbacks coach and was promoted to assistant head coach last season.

In his new role, Caldwell has been forced to balance the daily rigors of medical updates, game planning and critiquing practices with embracing his family, something he considers especially important under these circumstances.

And his quiet, unassuming personality and attention to detail makes Caldwell appear a Dungy clone -- even if he bristles at the suggestion.

"I'm not certain I'd put myself anywhere close to his category," Caldwell said. "He's a very special individual, and he'll be back in due time. I can tell you I pale in comparison to him."

His compassionate approach, though, has helped the Colts cope with Dungy's tragedy.

"The great thing about it is that this team is a great reflection of its head coach, they emulate him to a 'T' in certain respects," Caldwell said. "Especially when there's some adversity and this is a very tough time."

Indianapolis has already clinched the AFC South title, a first-round bye and home-field advantage, and it is considering resting its starters for the playoffs. That means Caldwell must devise a way to inspire his players in an otherwise meaningless game.

It's an opportunity for Caldwell to thrive on the national stage since the game has been billed as a Super Bowl preview. But Caldwell views it differently. It's a way to help out a friend by leading his team the way Dungy would want.

"Coach Dungy and his family are very close to all of us, and it is a very difficult time for all of us," Caldwell said. "But he's told us to carry on as usual, and that's what we're going to try and do."

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December 25, 200520 yr

more about his myspace:

Dungy remembered as loyal friend and generous mentor

By ALEXANDRA ZAYAS

Published December 22, 2005

TAMPA - He was Tony Dungy's son, but 18-year-old James Dungy stood out on his own, delighting friends with jokes and antics.

There he was, 6-foot-7, doing Usher's complicated hip hop moves in the middle of American history class at Gaither High School.

"Since he's so tall and so big it was hilarious to see him do it," said longtime friend Quintyn Eldridge, 18.

On Thursday, those who knew Dungy awoke to morning phone calls and news reports that he had apparently taken his own life. Through tears, they shared memories of their fun-loving teammate and friend.

Eldridge met Dungy in the seventh grade at Buchanan Middle School.

"He was the tallest kid I ever knew," Eldridge said. "That's how we started talking."

The two kept in touch, despite being separated in high school. Dungy studied at Tampa Catholic for two years and joined Eldridge at Gaither, where both played football. Dungy, a defensive end, wasn't the strongest athlete on the team, but he learned quickly and played with enthusiasm. School officials said he was a starting player for six out of 10 games.

He was just like anyone else on the squad, coach Mark Kantor said.

The teen didn't try to use his father's status and didn't appear to be suffering under the spotlight, Kantor and others said.

"He was proud to be Tony Dungy's son," Kantor said.

Being a Dungy meant fielding requests for signed jerseys and hats, but he went along with it all.

"If you asked him for something, he'd never say no," Eldridge said. "I figured he had so much, he was always willing to give it away."

Dungy worked as a bag boy at a Publix in Lutz after school. Once, he saw a man snatch a female customer's purse. He ran after the robber and tackled him.

"He was so happy about it," Eldridge said. "Me and my mom went to Publix that night and he was telling everybody about it."

In class, Dungy liked to mimic comedian Dave Chapelle.

At night, he'd party with high school teammates. Nothing too crazy, Ovie Esalomi, 18, said. They'd just go for a spin in Dungy's Durango or his mother's new Mercedes.

Dungy stood up for his beliefs, Eldridge said. He was passionate about his African-American heritage. Stories of Malcolm X and the Black Panthers fascinated him.

Kantor said Dungy did not want to leave Gaither after one year, but he did so to be closer to his father.

Dungy graduated from North Central High School in Indianapolis in the spring.

According to the Indianapolis Star, he recently went to the school to pick up his transcripts.

"He sounded excited, upbeat," North Central principal C.E. Quandt told the Star.

"It appeared to me he had a plan."

Dungy returned to Tampa to work toward an associate's degree in criminal justice technology at Hillsborough Community College. HCC spokesman John Huerta said he wasn't sure whether Dungy had begun classes.

After his return, he would drop by Gaither to watch football games with friends. "I wish there were 52 of him around," Kantor said. "Mom and Dad raised him right."

Dungy sought out Kantor at Gaither a couple of weeks ago and gave him a hug. The two chatted for about 40 minutes.

"He said he was getting a new job," Kantor said. "Everything seemed to be going fantastic."

Recently, Dungy had begun dating 18-year-old Antoinette Anderson. He had good things to say about her to his friend Eldridge.

"He said he liked her a lot," Eldridge said. "He was only going out with her for a few months. He hung out with her a lot, and he said she was a really cool girl and I should meet her."

Eldridge, like many teens, kept in touch with Dungy through messages on MySpace.com, an online web site where users post pictures, biographies and commentary for friends. Dungy signed on the day before he died.

In his photo, a bandana covers half his face. The web page contains pictures of marijuana leaves, guns, sexual graphics, gang signs and money. It is full of teen bravado.

A headline beside his photo blares "F--- the Police," a reference to a controversial 1988 hip-hop song by N.W.A. In Dungy's bio, he writes "Don't let my playful and comical attitude fool ya cause I'm not playin." The web site was taken down Thursday afternoon.

Eldridge said the profile doesn't do his friend justice.

"He's not the type of person to run with gangs or do stuff like that," Eldridge said. "It's just a front. People who knew him knew how great of a guy he was."

On Wednesday afternoon, Dungy spoke to 17-year-old Jamie Gonzalez, whom he met and dated for about a month while at Tampa Catholic in his sophomore year. There, he and his freshman girlfriend would hold hands in the halls. But when Dungy moved to Indianapolis, they lost touch.

Two weeks ago, he left a note on Gonzalez's MySpace page, telling her he was back in town and wanted to catch up. After trading comments for a while, he posted a message early Wednesday afternoon. It said: "can't talk to nobody n e (any) more."

The cryptic message puzzled Gonzalez, but when she contacted him, he seemed fine.

"He was talking like everything is normal," she said.

He also apologized for "everything," she said. Dungy had stopped talking to her when he moved to Indianapolis. He wanted her to know he was sorry for that. They made tentative plans to hang out.

On Wednesday night, Melisa Winning, 18, spoke to Dungy. She said he had a crush on her at Gaither. She remembered how he used to make her laugh.

With all the messages, all the plans, friends didn't see it coming.

Not the jolt of losing Dungy.

Not this way.

"Everything seemed fine," Winning said.

Dungy posted casual messages for several friends Wednesday. He invited one to a party he planned for Jan. 6, which he called "my day."

It was his birthday.

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/22/Tampabay...ered_as_l.shtml

Jamie Marie Gonzalez, 17, a senior at Armwood High School who used to date Dungy, said he may have changed during the past year in Indianapolis, but when they talked by phone recently he seemed to be the same friendly young man she remembered.

She said Dungy had tracked her down through a free Internet community called Myspace.com. The only thing that seemed out of character was a rough profile Dungy created for himself recently at Myspace.com, containing racy images and profanity.

...

Jamie Gonzalez said Dungy called her this week, and the two made plans to see each other next week.

"I had no idea," she said. "I never have would have thought."

She was shocked at the Internet profile Dungy created a few weeks ago, in which he appears wearing a bandana over his nose and mouth beside text condemning the police. The site contains pictures of handguns, marijuana, Snoop Dog, stacks of cash, gang signs and sexual positions. The heroes he lists include "the D.C. Snipers," Malcolm X and the Black Panthers. It was not accessible by Thursday afternoon.

Gonzalez said she thought the Web site profile was nothing more than a front.

"I think he was trying to portray himself as being tough, but he was nothing like that," Jamie Gonzalez wrote in an online exchange with a reporter. "Well at least when we went out he wasn't. ... He was extremely sweet!"

Clearwater psychologist Ruth Peters, who reviewed the site at the Tribune's request, said it did not raise red flags about suicide, though it referenced male toughness and marijuana use.

"Certainly he doesn't come across as an Ivy League preppy," Jacobs says, "but I didn't see anything really personal. It's more: 'Here's a black guy living in Tampa.' "

http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBLU2W0KHE.html

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January 6, 200620 yr

This is just awful. I'm kind of surprised he wasn't home with his family or that a family member wasn't with him after the October incident.

Fox Sports

911 call: Dungy's son used belt to hang himself

TAMPA - The son of Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy used a belt to hang himself from a ceiling fan, according to the 911 call the teen's girlfriend made when she found him last month.

Antoinette Anderson returned to James Dungy's apartment after a 10-minute walk early Dec. 22 to find him apparently lifeless, according to tapes released Wednesday. The tape is the first public indication how James Dungy, 18, killed himself.

"I think my boyfriend's dead," an anguished Anderson told an emergency dispatcher. "I think he tried to hang himself or something."

She told the dispatcher she had used a knife to cut James Dungy down and that his roommate was asleep in another room.

"Get the roommate up," the dispatcher told Anderson. "You're gonna need some help here, OK?"

Anderson is then heard telling the roommate, whose name has not been released, "I think he's dead, like for real. And I'm on the phone with 911."

The two tell the dispatcher Dungy isn't moving. The dispatcher tells them how to perform CPR as Anderson cried.

"Force two deep breaths of air into the lungs just like you're blowing up a big balloon," the dispatcher said. "Did you do that?"

"Yes," Anderson said. "I just don't think he's alive."

"Did you feel air going in?" the dispatcher asked.

Anderson replied, "No. No."

A Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy soon arrived and took over the CPR. A paramedic crew took Dungy to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The local medical examiner has called the death an apparent suicide, but has refused to give an exact cause pending results of toxicological tests that should be ready in about a month.

On Oct. 21, James Dungy was treated after overdosing on painkillers. Then, he calmly told a 911 dispatcher he "was just being stupid" and had taken about 18 pills. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.

James Dungy had moved back to the Tampa area from Indianapolis last year to attend college. His father had coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001.

Tony Dungy missed one game after his son's death, returning to the Colts' sideline last Sunday. The Colts, the top seed in the AFC, open the playoffs Jan. 15 in Indianapolis.