NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, "taking complete
charge of a dispute between the Jets and Patriots that had
become a sticky mess, stepped in decisively late yesterday
afternoon and brokered a blockbuster deal that frees" Bill
Parcells to coach the Jets immediately, according to Mark
Cannizzaro of the N.Y. POST. The deal gives the Patriots
the Jets' third and fourth-round picks in April's draft,
their No. 2 in '98 and their No. 1 pick in '99. The Jets
will also make a $300,000 contribution to the Patriots
Football Foundation for New England youth (N.Y. POST, 2/11).
The deal, which took up much of the day, was brokered at the
offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, the
league's firm (Gerald Eskenazi, N.Y. TIMES, 2/11). The
Patriots and Jets were "hopelessly deadlocked" at 4:30pm ET
when each presented a proposal to Tagliabue. Tagliabue
returned twenty minutes later with his ruling. Parcells will
be introduced today at a Jets news conference at 1:00pm ET
(Rich Cimini, N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/11).
TAKING SIDES: Tagliabue: "I tried to be sensitive to
where each organization was ... and tried to do something
that was fair to both teams and for their fans, and I think
that's what we achieved" ("CNN/SI," CNN, 2/10). Jets Owner
Leon Hess: "We are very happy, and the commissioner did a
hell of a job." Patriots Owner Robert Kraft: "In the end it
was most important to get a deal done and put this whole
thing behind us" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 2/10).
PRAISE FOR PAUL: In N.Y., the DAILY NEWS' Gary Myers:
"Tagliabue stepped up to the plate and delivered in the
clutch. It becomes a shining moment in his 7 1/2 years on
the job" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/11). The TIMES' Dave Anderson:
"In the best interest of pro football, Paul Tagliabue made
his move. That's what good commissioners do" (N.Y. TIMES,
2/11). USA TODAY's Gordon Forbes notes Tagliabue consulted
with NFL Player Personnel Director Joel Busert on talent
evaluation and new NFL Exec VP Jeffrey Pash for an
"outsider's viewpoint" to come to his decision. Forbes:
"Tagliabue left no doubt that he sided with the Patriots.
... Tagliabue enjoyed one of his finest hours as a deal
maker" (USA TODAY, 2/11). In Boston, Ron Borges: "Tagliabue
did what baseball (non)commissioner Bud Selig couldn't do if
his life depended on it. He not only made a deal, he made a
decision. He listened to both sides ... then told them what
to do" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/11). In Chicago, Don Pierson: "The
trade brokered by ... Tagliabue clearly establishes coaches
as important as players" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/11). In DC,
Leonard Shapiro: "Parcells is the biggest winner of all"
(WASHINGTON POST, 2/11). In Baltimore, Vito Stellino notes
if Kraft "hadn't made such a public issue out of the first
pick in this year's draft, this settlement would seem to be
in his favor" (Baltimore SUN, 2/11).
BORDER WAR: The CHICAGO TRIBUNE's Don Pierson: "If
nothing else, NFL fans will pay attention to the Jets and
Patriots for a few years as a moribund rivalry is restored"
(CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/11). Tagliabue "also stoked the Jets-
Patriots rivalry" by announcing the teams would play a
Sunday night game next season (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/11).
