Parcells resigns from Jets' front-office position by Ken Berger Newsday January 9, 2001 HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - A chapter in football history ended Tuesday when Bill Parcells resigned as di rector of football operations for the Jets, walking away from the sport that has given and taken so much of his life, perhaps for the last time. Whether there is more to be written on Parcells, 59, winner of two Super Bowls, remains to be seen. Deciding that he can no longer take the commitment of a daily life in football, he resigned his position effective at the end of the month. He will spend the rest of this week in his office at Weeb Ewbank Hall, where dark curtains kept out the sunlight so he could better study game tape at the break of dawn. It was that grind, and the singular life of a football man, that Parcells finally decided he could no longer endure. 'This year, I was still in this of fice at 7 o'clock in the morning," Parcells said. "1 was still watch ing those films and those tapes and doing the things I had always done behaviorally. It's just time to get out of this routine. There's no time off. There's no time away. You can't get away from the job." Parcells had thorough discus sions with Owner Woody Johnson in the past week about the state of the organization and made his fi nal decision Monday that he would resign and not take any other position with the team. "The main reason was I feel like a long-term commitment to the JetS is now in order and I don't feel like I'm the one to make it," Parcells said. "When this season was over and 1 now was faced with hiring a new coach and going through all that, I don't feel like I want to do all of that again. I think it's time for someone else to do it." He has discussed possible can didates for general manager and coach with Johnson and will con- tinue to assist the owner in what ever capacity he is asked. But Celtics have hit rock bottom by Stull Smith ('hicago ihunc I aniku \, 9, 201)1 Rick Pittno re,igned Aluii Lt Tht, not ne\%,. Guy, like Rick Point) al- wa s resign - go to , s omething bet ter, something different. something something to keep their name before the public. There was just one loser this time l'itino quit after about 31/2 seasons as coach and president of the Boston Celtics. The loser was the Celtics, once the most successful franchise in pro basketball and one of the elite names in professional sports. Yankees, Packers. Canadiens, Celtics. These have been the franchises s . ) non) mous with success and ()nn- nation in their sports. Pitino cane to reclaim that heritage in the name of Red Auerbach, 13111 Russell, Bob C(.,uSV, Ton He irlSOhn and Larry Bird. Ile leaves, richer by the $2B million he was paid the last four seasons while leavimi. the remainder of his $5l) mil lion 10-year deal, though poorer for having allowed the legacy and reputa tion of the Celtics to sink even Im‘er on his watch. "It has been a great privilege to coach the greatest basketball tradition in sports," Pitino said in a statement Monday. "Top to bottom it is a first class franchise. Celtic legends have been a true inspiration to me. I wish we could have accomplished more between the lines." Pitino never could, failing to make the playoffs. Matters only got worse this season with a team that clearly had tired of his constant threats to quit. Boston has lost six straight and I 6-of -21 games since a 7-7 start. The Celtics, whom Pitino begged for defensive play, rank 26th in the NBA defensively, allowing 98.3 points per game. Parcells said, "I am not going to have any direct responsibility with hiring of future personnel here with the Jets." Johnson, now charged with picking the correct people to chart a course for the team he purchased last January for $635 million, re leased a statement that said, in part: "While it will be hard to re place someone of Bill's ability and leadership, we intend to use all our efforts to build on what he started by creating a first-class manage ment team. We will immediately start to pursue all avenues to find the right mix." Though insisting "my intention is not to coach," Parcells would not rule out any options for how he will fill the void he is inviting by leaving the game. "If I wanted to coach, I could have come back and coached the Jets," Parcells said. "I could have done that, so obviously I feel very strongly about it. My intention is I'm moving on to another venue. I don't know what that is yet." Parcells rejected the idea of re maining director of football opera tions for another year, saying, "I don't think that's in the best inter est of the New York Jets." Asked why he did not become president of the team, a position that would have taken him away from day-to-day football opera tions, Parcells said, "That's not what I do best." Parcells leaves the Jets in much better shape - on a talent and or ganizational basis - than they were in when he became coach in 1997. The team was 30-20 in three sea sons under Parcells, advancing to the AFC Championship Game in 1998. Parcells, who maintained a low public profile after stepping down as coach, discussed the rigors of his job as general manager for the first time. "People do not know how con suming this job is," he said. "It's a very consuming job the way I do it. ... I wanted to see how this went. But once you've been on the front lines, it's hard to go on the back bunker." Nino. 48, is expected to be a can didate for a major college head coach * position. His longtime assistant, Jim O'Brien, takes over in Boston for the rest of the season. Former Celtics Dennis Johnson, Quinn Buckner, Rick Carlisle, Don Chaney and Paul Westphal, and St. John's Jarvis, have been specu lated about as potential suc- cessors. But there's also the likelihood owner Paul Gaston will sell the team and a group Bird would come in to reshape the organization. It has a storied past. Eight straight NBA championships from 1959 through 1966, 11 in 13 years from 1957 through 1969, two more in the 19705, three more in the 1980 s. Dur ing that span, the line of succession went from Bill Russell to Dave Cowens to Larry Bird. And all of them had one thing in common: Auerbach acquired them through trades and draft day gambles. Cowens was the fourth pick in the draft and Bird the sixth. Russell was acquired through a trade for Ed Macauley and the rights to Cliff Hagen and by getting Rochester, with the No. 1 pick, to pass. Rochester additionally was granted the Ice Capades in their arena to offset basketball losses. The Celtics always seemed better and smarter than everyone else, spe cial. But once Auerbach's influence waned, so did the Celtics' on profes- \..../ A Martin's case goes to the Supreme Court next week Casey Martin has another day in court Wednesday and it's a big one - the Supreme Court will hear the PGA Tour's appeal of the original 1998 rul ing that was upheld on appeal in 1999, allowing him to use a golf cart while playing. Martin, who will listen to arguments before the nine-member panel in Washington, wants to get on playing golf; he will make his season debut this week at the Tucson Open. Martin has no exempt status on the PGA Tour af ter he missed retaining his 2001 Tour card by one shot at qualifying school, so he has asked for sponsor's exemp tions until he starts playing the Terrell says he'll exit early for draft ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Michigan receiver David Terrell said Monday that he will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft. Terrell, whose decision was ex pected, said he has received indica tions from the NFL that he will be the first receiver drafted, possibly the first player drafted. Terrell is ex pected to be at least a top-10 pick. San Diego has the No. 1 pick, fol lowed by Arizona and Cleveland. The Lions draft 18th. Terrell said he has no strong preference for a spe cific team. "You really can't control that," he said. "I just want to make an instant impact." Terrell said the decision was diffi cult because of his strong feelings for U-M. He has yet to choose an agent, although he said Lon Babby, Grant Hill's agent, is a strong possibility. Terrell caught 67 passes for 1,130 yards and 14 touchdowns this sea son. The yardage total was the most by a receiver in school history. He is the first Wolverine to skip his fourth year since Charles Woodson, the No. 4 pick in the 1998 draft. Woodson sional sports The Celtics haven't advance be yond the first round of the playoffs since the 1991-92 season. They haven't been to the conference finals for 13 years. Many of the NBA's top players today cannot recall the Celtics "It has been a great privilege to coach the greatest bas ketball tradition in sports. Top to bottom it is a first cla.s.s franchise. Celtic legends have been a true inspira tion to me. I wish we could have accomplished more between the lines." ever being a serious NBA contender. Kobe Bryant was 8 the last time the Celtics went to the NBA Finals. Many trace the decline of the Celtics to the drug overdose death of Maryland star Len Bias in 1986. Bias had been the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft and the Celtics had perhaps their best team ever, their final champion ship team with Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Bias was to be the star in the line of succession from Bird. It again was Auerbach who manuevered to get Bias, having traded Gerald Henderson in 1984 to get the draft pick for him. But Bias died and then, when de veloping star Reggie Lewis died of heart failure after the 1992-93 season after averaging more than 20 points for the second straight year, the Celtics tragically had lost two of the young stars they expected to lead them through the 19905. by Thomas Bonk Los Angeles Times January 10, 2001 by Michael Rosenberg Knight-Ridder Newspapers January 9, 2001 -Rick Pitino, former coach and president of the Boston Celtics. "I know I have the talent to compete out there," Martin said. "But there's no quick fix. I'm just try ing to be patient." -golfer Casey Martin Buy.com Tour that begins March 8 in Gainesville, Fla. "It's a chance to make some money was taken by the Oakland Raiders. Had Terrell stayed at Michigan, he likely would have ended his career with every important school receiving record. But he said the records and glory are not what he'll miss most. "I'm probably going to miss just my friends, the neighborhood," he said. "Everything that was special to me in Ann Arbor." Now that he's gone, he has another priority, for his mother, Barbara: "A big ol' house that she can get lost in." Terrell consulted with coach Lloyd Carr and receivers coach Erik (Soup) Campbell about the decision. "I wanted him to make the best de cision for him," Campbell said. "There are pros and cons to everything, and I would love to see Dave come back for his senior year. . . . I wanted to make sure David is doing this for the right reasons. He's making his own deci Campbell admitted that for selfish reasons he wanted Terrell hack, but that he didn't try to influence him. "If I could be there for 10 years, Soup would have me for 10 years," Terrell said. Terrell said he plans to train with Minnesota Vikings receiver Cris Carter before the draft; Carter is known for his rigorous off-season Those tragedies, however, account for the succession of management blun ders that again leaves the team head ing toward still another rebuilding. Auerbach was phased out in the late 1980 s and Dave Gavitt took over in 1990. imagining a star as he was, not as he is, and trying for a quick fix to remain competitive. When that wasn't working, they com pounded the mistake by signing another aging former star, Dominique Wilkins. He left after a troubled season for Eu rope. Then the Celtics invested big in European star Dino Radja, who never fit well and returned to Europe. At the same time, the drafts, which once brought the likes of Bird, Cowens, Sam Jones, John Havlicek, McHale, Westphal and JoJo White, were com ing up dry. There was Dee Brown and Acie Earl with top 20 picks and Eric Montross with a top 10 pick. And then came Pitino, the boy won der who had 15 winning seasons in 17 years of coaching, turning around pro grams at Boston University and Provi dence, winning an NCAA title at Ken tucky and having a successful two-year stint in the NBA with the Knicks. Al ways seemingly in demand, he said his and you never know what's going to happen," said Martin, who will not split time between the tours once he starts playing the Buy.com regularly. Martin can accept seven sponsor's ex emptions on the PGA Tour and has asked for one from Nissan Open tournament director Tom Pulchinski. As his date with the Supreme Court draws closer, Martin has been practic ing nearly every day at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club near his home. Although he ranked No. 6 in driving distance last year on the PGA Tour, he was No. 179 in putting and he took lessons from Jim McLean at PGA West. "I know I have the talent to compete out there," Martin said. "But there's no quick fix. I'm just trying to be patient." A decision is expected before the end of June. workouts. Terrell also said he plans to take correspondence courses so he can stay on track for his degree. Terrell is known for making big plays and big statements. His playful trash-talking sometimes overshad owed the fact that he was one of the team's hardest-working players. "That's one thing he never shied away from is hard work," Campbell said. "He's a guy who demands to be pushed. He loves to be pushed and plays hard. He has worked hard. - Last week, quarterback Drew Henson said he would return for his senior season. Henson already has made more than $1 million from his baseball career, but soon Terrell will sign a contract with a multimillion dollar bonus. "I can treat him for a change," Terrell cracked. Bye, Buckeye: Ohio State cornerback Nate Clements said he is leaving school a year early to make himself available for the NFL draft. Clements started all 12 games this sea son, finishing with 68 tackles, four in terceptions and a team-high 13 passes broken up. He also averaged 13.1 yards on punt returns. Clements is the second OSU underclassman to declare for the draft, joining defensive tackle Ryan Pickett, destiny and his desire always was the Celtics. Pitino took over for M.L. Carr with hopes of landing the top pick of the '97 draft, Tim Duncan. They didn't get him in the lottery and now Pitino, curiously, says he wouldn't have taken the job if he knew the Celtics could not get Duncan. The first big mistake was the 1992 signing of former All- Star Xavier McDaniel. Once a feared competi tor and scorer, McDaniel's knee problems had limited him se verely by then. But the Celtics made the com mon mistake of In a panic because his whole plan rested on that, Pitino got rid of much of his scouting staff and selected Chancey Bullips and Ron Mercer, with the Nos. 3 and 6 picks. He said they would be his future, but soon he traded them for little. He also passed on pick ing Tracy McCrady and Tim Thomas. Players such as Pervis Ellison and Dana Burros got long-term contracts and then, in a frenzy to get salary cap space to sign free agents, Pitino re nounced nine players, including Rick Fox and David Wesley, the latter now starring for the Charlotte Hornets. Pitino used that cap space to lure free agent Travis Knight, who was a bust and soon traded, and Chris Mills, also soon traded. Influenced by his own agent, David Falk, Pitino also traded for Falk clients of limited worth such as Kenny Ander son, who had a long-term deal worth about $5O million, and Walter McCarty and Vitaly Potapenko, who were given long-term deals. The Cleveland Cava liers used the draft pick from the Potapenko deal to draft Andre Miller, one of the top young point guards in the NBA and a player Pitino has tried to acquire from the Cavaliers. This summer Pitino even signed free agents unwanted by the 17-victory Bulls - Randy Brown and Chris Carr. In the end, Saturday, it was Pitino in tears in Miami as his players walked Mourning. It is a matter of how long it will take them to rebuild once again. FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 2001 Carruth's ex girlfriend says he threatened to have her killed by Tim Whitmire Knight-Ridder Tribune January 6, 2001 CHARLOTTE, N.C. An ex-girl friend testified today that Rae Carruth demanded she get an abor tion after she became pregnant and threatened to have her killed if she refused. The testimony, from Amber Turner, 21, of Colorado, came in the second day of the prosecution's rebuttal at Carruth's capital murder trial. Turner said she ended the 1998 pregnancy with an abortion. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Carruth, 26, who is charged with arranging the Novem ber 1999 fatal shooting of Cherica Adams, who was eight months pregnant with his son. The baby survived; Adams died a month later. Defense lawyers battled fiercely to limit Turner's testimony or keep it out altogether, but prosecutors succesfully argued that Turner would rebut the defense's claim that Carruth had no motive for mas terminding the attack on Adams. Turner told jurors that she began dating Carruth in late 1996, when she was a 17-year-old high school student and he was a senior at the University of Colorado. She said Carruth gave her $5OO a month even before he was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in April 1997, telling her the money came from his family. After he was taken in the first round of the NFL draft, she said, Carruth gave her $15,000 and a new Lexus. During this time, Turner said, Carruth repeatedly complained about paying child support for an out-of-wedlock son he had fathered in California. And she said he talked about having a paternity test to see if he really was the father of Rae Carruth Jr. Turner said she moved to Char lotte with Carruth in the summer of 1997 and lived with him during his rookie season with the Panthers. The pregnancy came the follow ing spring, she said, after she spent five days in Charlotte with Carruth. When she called Carruth and told him about the pregnancy, Turner said, his first response was, "You better be joking, you better be jok ing." During a later conversation, Turner said Carruth told her, "You can't have no kids. I'm not going to have another kid with someone I'm not going to be with." If she didn't have an abortion, she said, Carruth threatened, "I'll send somebody out there (to Colo rado) to kill you. You know I'll do it." Turner also read from an August letter Carruth wrote from jail that included a long list of statements he wanted her to repeat to police, including that he was upset at miss ing the birth of Rae Jr., and that he had talked about suing for custody of Rae Jr. Under questioning by prosecu tor Gentry Caudill, Turner said many of those statements were not true. The morning session ended with defense lawyer David Rudolf be ginning his cross-examination of Turner by focusing on an August telephone conversation in which Turner asked him if she should talk to police investigating Adams' death. As Rudolf disputed Turner's ac count of the conversation and Turner argued with the defense lawyer, Superior Court Judge Charles Lamm repeatedly warned her not to volunteer information beyond the scope of Rudolf's ques tions. After sending the jury out for their lunch break, he told prosecu tors that Turner was close to put ting Rudolf in a position where the lawyer could argue that he should become a witness in the case - a developmpnt that the judge said could forahim to declare a mis trial.
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