After 49ers QB STEVE YOUNG announced his retirement from
the NFL yesterday, ESPN's Andrea Kremer reported on his
retirement plans: "[Young] is Chairman of an Internet start-
up company called FOUND, INC. which he's going to combine
with a venture capital firm. They hope to raise money for
non-profit organizations and also for various hospital
projects. His 'FOREVER YOUNG' foundation will be expanded
nationally. He will be very active in the Salt Lake
Olympics. There is no broadcasting in his immediate future,
he says, nor will there be any coaching, except for maybe
Little League. ... There's been a lot of speculation about
politics. [Young's wife] Barbara told me, 'Not right now.
The priority is going to be family'" ("SportsCenter," 6/12).
Young, on a possible NFL TV analyst role: "At the moment, it
is not an immediate plan." He added, "I'd love to keep my
hand in the game some way, maybe it is toying with
broadcasting or toying with management ... who knows?" In
Oakland, Jerry McDonald reports that Young "will have plenty
to keep him busy," as besides Found, Inc. and his SLOC work,
his "latest business venture, which Young describes as an
infrastructure for retailers, employs 120 people in downtown
San Francisco" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 6/13). The SLOC plans to
keep BYU alum Young "busy as an unpaid 'ambassador-at-large,'
using his popularity in Utah to help attract the 26,000
volunteers needed for the 2002 Winter Olympics and
Paralympics." During the Games, Young will "have the high-
profile position" of being the volunteer Chair of the medals
plaza in downtown Salt Lake City (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 6/13).
RECONCILIATION: In Oakland, Carl Steward writes that
former 49ers Owner EDDIE DEBARTOLO yesterday made his "first
appearance" at the 49ers training camp since '98. DeBartolo
looked "a bit haggard but trimmer than he has been in recent
years," and he "offered a positive view of his state of
mind," since living in FL and no longer being associated with
the team. DeBartolo: "I'm just recovering from 23 years of
football. I'm not only at peace, I could fall asleep with
happiness. I've never been happier" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 6/13).
