Tony Dungy -- I Wouldn't Have Drafted Michael Sam ... Because He's Gay

Former Super Bowl winning coach Tony Dungy says he wouldn't have drafted Michael Sam because he wouldn't want to deal with the gay factor.

Dungy -- who's currently an analyst for NBC -- made the comments to the Tampa Tribune ... saying, "I wouldn’t have taken him. Not because I don’t believe Michael Sam should have a chance to play, but I wouldn’t want to deal with all of it."

Dungy predicts the fact that Sam is openly gay will be an issue in the NFL -- explaining, "It’s not going to be totally smooth ... things will happen."

Dungy seems to be acknowledging that Sam is talented enough to play in the NFL -- but he would have overlooked that because of his sexual orientation.