Cunningham to Announce Retirement

Randall Cunningham, released by the Philadelphia Eagles after 11 seasons and not picked up by the only team he wanted to join, said Thursday that he will retire from pro football.

The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, whose dazzling runs and inspired playmaking had faded since a series of injuries, planned a news conference today in Chicago.

“Although it saddens me to leave, I am looking forward to spending more time with my family and pursuing other interests that have been on the back burner for some time,” he said.

The announcement was not unexpected. Cunningham said the only team he wanted to play for this year was the St. Louis Rams, who didn’t seek to sign him when he became a free agent.

“I just don’t have it in my heart to play anymore,” he said last week. “I don’t need to play football until I’m 38 years old--and I’m not criticizing anyone else for doing that. I just didn’t need to do it.”

Cunningham, a second-round draft choice for the Eagles in 1985 out of Nevada Las Vegas, ended his career with the NFL record among quarterbacks for rushing with 4,482 yards on 677 carries. He also completed 1,874 of 3,362 passes (55.7 percent) for 22,877 yards, 150 touchdowns and 105 interceptions.

He recently signed on as a studio analyst with TNT and will make his debut as an analyst in Sunday’s game between the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants.

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A man whose photo became a symbol of out-of-control football fans has lost an appeal of his sentence in Hackensack, N.J., for throwing a snowball during a football game.

Superior Court Judge Gerald Escala ruled that Jeffrey Lange’s fine and conviction were appropriate under the circumstances, since Lange had admitted throwing the snowball. Lange, 26, was found guilty in April of improper behavior and fined $650.