Parcells Expected to Resign

Bill Parcells, who coached the New York Giants to two Super Bowl championships, is resigning today, with offensive coordinator Ray Handley expected to be his replacement, according to published reports.

The Boston Globe and the New York Daily News, citing sources close to the club, said Parcells has informed General Manager George Young that he will not honor the final year of his contract. The Globe said the Giants will make an announcement today.

The Globe said Parcells, whose team beat Buffalo in this year’s Super Bowl, could have received a three-year extension worth more than $1 million. He was being paid $750,000 in the final year of a five-year contract signed after the Giants beat Denver in the 1987 Super Bowl.

Handley, elevated last winter from running backs coach, was the “odds-on” choice, the newspaper said.

Handley neither confirmed nor denied an impending change.

“I can’t help you on this,” he told the Associated Press Tuesday.

When asked about reports that he would succeed Parcells, he said: “I’ve been reading that for a couple of months now.”

Attempts by the AP to reach Young on Tuesday night were unsuccessful. Young’s wife said he was attending a dinner and would not be back until late in the evening.

Parcells, reportedly being wooed by NBC as a pro football analyst, could not reached for comment. A representative in the office of Parcells’ agent, Robert Fraley, would not confirm the report.

Parcells, who has an 85-52-1 record, reportedly has auditioned with NBC Sports as a football analyst.