Parcells Might Be Through Coaching : NFL: Stress of the job would be too much for him after angioplasty, a friend says.

Bill Parcells probably is through coaching, according to a friend of the man who led the New York Giants to victory in Super Bowls XXI and XXV. Parcells withdrew Saturday from consideration for the Green Bay Packers’ coaching job after turning down an offer to coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a week earlier.

Health considerations apparently were a major factor not only in Parcells’ decision not to return to coaching but also in his decision to resign from the Giants May 15. Parcells recently underwent an angioplasty to clear a blocked artery. While he has received medical clearance to resume working out and to coach if he chooses, Parcells is mindful of the fact his father died after undergoing a triple bypass operation.

“This was the last important decision of his life,” a friend who counseled Parcells against a return to coaching told Newsday. “If he’s not going back into coaching now, he never will. A couple of us who care about him as a person told him we’d like to see him at 55 or 60, not in a cemetery.”

Tim Mara’s decision to sell his half of the Giants to Robert Tisch last February was one reason Parcells resigned as the Giants’ coach, but he also might have been worried about his health. “That concern has been pretty constant since February, March and April,” Parcells’ friend said. “He wanted to go to a third Super Bowl. All that stuff about wanting control (of personnel decisions)) wasn’t the reason he quit. He was concerned about high blood pressure and cholesterol.

“The angioplasty made him feel better, but it made him feel mortal, too. He’s stopped smoking, and he’s gotten the coffee (intake) way down. He’s smart enough to realize coaching would put him back in a precarious situation. When he was coaching, he drank 10 to 15 cups of coffee a day and smoked three packs a day.”

Appearing in his studio commentator role on NBC’s “NFL Live” pregame show Saturday, Parcells discussed his decision to drop out as a candidate for the Packers’ job. Asked by host Bob Costas if he were worried about his health, Parcells said: “I have no concerns at all about my health. I worked out for 45 minutes on the treadmill this morning.” Parcells didn’t say how a return to the stress of coaching might affect his current good health.

Parcells declined to rule out the possibility of a return to coaching in the future, but he told Costas: “I enjoy watching football and working with you guys. I’m just going day-to-day.”

His negotiations with the Buccaneers and Packers suggest Parcells led on both teams before deciding against a return to coaching. Buccaneer owner Hugh Culverhouse last week said he drew up a contract meeting 38 conditions outlined by Parcells, and a report out of Green Bay indicated he discussed who would be on his coaching staff.

Packer General Manager Ron Wolf canceled a scheduled interview with Chuck Knox last week in order to meet with Parcells. Knox would have been a leading candidate for the job, but is expected to get the Rams’ job. A statement issued by Wolf said, in part, that Parcells’ decision “clarified an unfortunate situation that hampered our endeavors to continue our search because of the media blitz that has occurred.”

Parcells said he met with Wolf Wednesday with the understanding that they would get back together if he decided he wanted to coach.

“We mutually agreed it was not necessary to talk any more,” Parcells said. “He never offered me the job. . . . There was not a change of heart. It never progressed as far as the media thought it did.”

When Costas asked if Parcells’ decision meant he would return to NBC next season, Parcells dodged the question with a joke. An NBC spokesman said Parcells is under contract at least through next season, and another network source said there is “absolutely no truth” to rumors Parcells has agreed to a three-year contract with NBC.

But it’s possible Parcells would welcome a move from the studio to the announcer’s booth next season, especially if Bill Walsh, NFC’s No. 1 commentator, returns to the San Francisco 49ers’ front office. Parcells performed well when he served as a game analyst earlier this season while announcer Paul Maguire recuperated from a mild heart attack.

“He’s talked to NBC (about becoming a game analyst),” Parcells’ friend said. “He wanted to be in the studio at first because he didn’t want to travel. But when he did go out, he liked visiting with the coaches and players. He liked the interaction. If they put him out now, he wouldn’t mind the travel.”

Parcells might have discovered what other coaches who have gone into television did before him. The pay is good, the hours aren’t bad, and they can experience some of the camaraderie with other coaches and players without all the stress of coaching.