Sports

Bucs/NFL

Search panel picked for new commissioner

Compiled from staff and wire reports
Published April 6, 2006

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NEW YORK - Owners Dan Rooney of Pittsburgh and Jerry Richardson of Carolina were appointed Wednesday to head the eight-member committee that will search for the successor to commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

The group was put together by Tagliabue to ensure that it includes diverse views among the owners. Rooney and Richardson are two of the owners Tagliabue trusts most. Others on the committee include Dallas' Jerry Jones and Oakland's Al Davis, both of whom have often clashed with the commissioner.

There are no representatives from the Buccaneers.

Robert Kraft of New England, Lamar Hunt of Kansas City, Mike McCaskey of Chicago and Woody Johnson of the New York Jets round out the group.

Tagliabue, who two weeks ago announced his intention to retire, reiterated last week that he believes a successor can be in place by July. But he has said he would stay on as long as he has to. In any event, he will remain through 2008 as a consultant.

The next regularly scheduled league meeting will take place on May 23-24 in Denver.

BUCS: Offensive tackle Torrin Tucker likely will become a Buc today, according to agent Jordan Woy.

The Cowboys have until today to match the Bucs' $2.6-million offer sheet to the restricted free agent, but have given no indication they will. Tucker, an undrafted free agent in 2003, started 23 games the past two seasons at right and left tackle.

CHIEFS: Lamar Hunt, the man credited with coining the term Super Bowl, says he's not ready to give up on his dream of bringing pro football's championship game to Kansas City.

Voters on Tuesday split on a pair of measures to pay for upgrades to the city's sports stadiums, approving a sales tax for renovations but rejecting a plan for a rolling roof to make both facilities climate-controlled. Hunt had secured the NFL's promise of the 2015 Super Bowl if both the renovations and the rolling roof were adopted.

GESTURE TOUCHES WARD: Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward wept as he received honorary citizenship from the South Korean capital, where he was born 30 years ago, and apologized for not previously embracing his Korean heritage.

"I apologize for being ashamed to say I was Korean," the half-Korean Ward said as he broke down, receiving a reassuring pat on the back by Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak. "I'm very moved, this really means a lot to me." Ward's mother, Kim Young-hee, cried in the audience during the ceremony. The honor was part of the homecoming the Pittsburgh Steelers receiver received during his first trip to the country as an adult. His family left South Korea when he was a baby, and his parents divorced soon after.

SAFETY'S TRIAL POSTPONED: Washington safety Sean Taylor's felony assault trial in Miami was postponed for a fifth time because of scheduling conflicts associated with Passover and Easter.

The case was moved from April 10 to April 17. The 23-year-old Taylor faces up to 46 years in prison if convicted on three aggravated assault charges and one misdemeanor battery charge stemming from a June 1 incident. He has pleaded not guilty and is free on $16,500 bail.

EAGLES FINED: Quarterback Donovan McNabb and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter were found guilty in Glassboro, N.J., of parking their trucks in zones for the handicapped, though both said they were not behind the wheel at the time.

McNabb was ordered to pay a $256 fine and $33 in court fees. Trotter, who parked illegally twice, was ordered to pay $512 and $66.

SIMMS' AGENT LEAVES IMG: Tom Condon, agent for Tampa Bay's Chris Simms and the Manning brothers and others, has left International Management Group to join Creative Artists Agency in Beverly Hills, Calif. Condon, a former offensive lineman for Kansas City, has been one of the league's top agents for more than a decade. MARSHALL GOLDBERG DIES: Marshall Goldberg, an All-America running back at the University of Pittsburgh and key contributor to the Chicago Cardinals' 1947 NFL championship, has died.

He was 88. Mr. Goldberg died Monday at a Chicago nursing home after spending several years battling the effects of brain injuries caused by numerous concussions during his playing days, his wife, Rita Goldberg, said. Goldberg was a member of Pitt's "Dream Backfield" while leading the school to a national championship in 1937. He was runnerup for the Heisman Trophy in 1938 and amassed 1,957 rushing yards at Pitt, a school record that stood until Tony Dorsett broke it in 1974.

ARENA FOOTBALL: The moment when Jim Foster drew up plans for the game on a manila envelope while watching an indoor soccer game at Madison Square Garden in 1981 topped a list of the 20 greatest moments in league history as determined by the 20th Season Historical Committee.

Stevie Thomas' 54-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the closing seconds of the Storm's 56-49 playoff semifinal victory over Albany in 1995 tied for 13th. For the complete list, see page 9C.

[Last modified April 6, 2006, 01:59:19]

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