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NEW YORK -- Tony Dungy said on Saturday afternoon that he visited the New York Jets earlier in the day "on a personal note."
The former NFL coach, who was at Yankee Stadium on Saturday to address the New York Yankees before their game against the Boston Red Sox, declined to say if he met personally with Jets coach Rex Ryan.
"You'd have to let him talk about that," Dungy told reporters. "I cannot say a word about that."
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The Jets were flying to Miami on Saturday afternoon and unavailable for comment.
Ryan drew criticism from Dungy for his use of profanity while being filmed for HBO's "Hard Knocks" series. Dungy said at the time that he was "disappointed with all the profanity ... I don't want to be around that. If I were in charge, I wouldn't hire someone like that."
Dungy went so far as to suggest that commissioner Roger Goodell should get involved.
Ryan fired back, saying he was disappointed that Dungy "unfairly judged" him.
"I've been a big admirer of Tony Dungy, and I'm sure a lot of people are, but he unfairly judged me, and that was disappointing to me," Ryan said at the time.
Ryan also called Dungy and left a message with the former Buccaneers and Colts coach, inviting him to spend time with the team. Ryan and Dungy later had a conversation that Ryan characterized as "man to man" in which Dungy accepted an invitation to meet with the team and Ryan.
"We look forward to having him come up and see what we're all about," Ryan said at the time.
Dungy is an analyst for NBC's "Football Night in America," which is airing the Jets-Dolphins game on Sunday night.
Dungy was in the Bronx on Saturday to meet with the Yankees for a five-minute speech before their game.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Dungy touched on various topics during his speech to the Bombers.
"Team, family. Things that you go through as an athlete, basically, this time of year," Girardi said.
"To have him here, with the things he has accomplished in life, is special," right fielder Nick Swisher said. "He is a winner. It was impressive to see how he commanded the room."
Girardi and Swisher can only hope Dungy's presence can spark the Yankees, who have lost 12 of 18 and entered play Saturday a half-game behind Tampa in the AL East.
The team previously invited Dungy to speak during spring training, according to Girardi, but Dungy was unavailable.
Girardi said he has "a ton of respect" for Dungy, who led the Indianapolis Colts to victory in Super Bowl XLI on Feb. 4, 2007.
(source:sports.espn.go.com)
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