McKay Prepares to Leave, Interviews for Atlanta Job

Tampa Bay General Manager Rich McKay took a big step toward leaving the Buccaneers on Thursday.

The embattled Bucs executive interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons’ GM job, a sign that he not only wants out, but that the sons of Tampa Bay owner Malcolm Glazer are willing to release him from the final year of his contract.

McKay has been contemplating a move since last Friday when the Glazers vetoed his plan to hire former Baltimore Raven assistant Marvin Lewis as Tampa Bay’s new coach.

The Bucs have been searching for a replacement for Tony Dungy for more than a month.

McKay’s departure would leave the team without a coach and general manager, fueling speculation that the Glazers are setting themselves up to make another run at luring Bill Parcells out of retirement.

Parcells turned down an offer to take over the team on Jan. 18, McKay made an unsuccessful bid to pry Jon Gruden from the Oakland Raiders and Lewis’ candidacy was squashed a day after he had been told the job was his.

McKay, who returned from Atlanta on Thursday night, declined comment at Tampa International Airport.

The Glazers resumed the coaching search this week without input for McKay, who teamed with Dungy to turn around a franchise suffered through 12 consecutive seasons with 10 or more losses.

The Bucs made the playoffs four of the past five seasons under Dungy, who was fired against McKay’s wishes on Jan. 14.

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State House members in Olympia, Wash., voted to end NFL blackouts of Seattle Seahawk games. The bill passed, 95-3.

Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia, said House Bill 2838 is about fairness, saying state taxpayers pay for the football stadium, so they should get to watch the games on TV if they want. Washington taxpayers contributed $300 million for the team’s new stadium in downtown Seattle.

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San Francisco 49er guard Ray Brown, who made the Pro Bowl last season for the first time in his 16-year career, was added the team’s expansion draft list. Brown replaced safety John Keith, who failed his physical. Keith has been slow to recover from a season-ending knee injury.... Rod Rust, one-time head coach of the New England Patriots and defensive coordinator for the New York Giants in 1992, has been hired again by the Giants as a defensive quality control coach. Dave Brazil, who held that position last season, will become senior defensive analyst.... The New England Patriots re-signed punter Ken Walter, agreeing to a $6 million, five-year contract that makes him one of the seven highest-paid punters in the NFL.

Tennis

Jiri Novak and Rainer Schuettler, the top-seeded players, advanced Thursday to the quarterfinals of the Copenhagen Open. Novak beat 2000 Wimbledon semifinalist Vladimir Voltchkov of Belarus 6-4, 6-0.

The top-seeded Czech will face Swede Magnus Larsson, who defeated Irakli Labadze of Georgia 6-1, 7-6. Second-seeded Schuettler of Germany reached the quarterfinals for the second time since 1999, eliminating Switzerland’s Ivo Heuberger, 7-6, 6-4.

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Unseeded Janette Husarova of Slovakia upset second seeded Sandrine Testud of France to move into the quarterfinals of the WTA Qatar Open at Doha Qatar. Husarova, ranked 68th in the world, won 7-6 (7-5), 0-6, 6-2. Monica Seles, advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Venezuela’s Maria Vento-Kabchi.

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Top-seeded Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain and defending champion Yevgeni Kafelnikov of Russia advanced Thursday to the third round of the Open 13 tournament at Marseille, France.... Justine Henin recovered from a bad start to beat Magdalena Maleeva, 7-6 (1), 6-1 Thursday and advance to the semifinals of the WTA Diamond Games at Antwerp, Belgium.

Boxing

Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes intensified his criticism of Mike Tyson calling him a “sexual predator” and asking the Georgia Boxing Commission to rescind his license to fight in the state.

House Republicans introduced a resolution urging the commission not to allow Tyson to fight in the Georgia Dome.

Since being denied a boxing license Jan. 29 by the Nevada Athletic Commission, Tyson’s promoters have been looking for other sites for the title bout against heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis. Atlanta is a candidate, along with Los Angeles, Colorado and Texas.

On Thursday, Josef Mason, director of Colorado’s Office of Boxing, denied a request by promoter Marty Garafalo for a permit to stage a June 8 fight at Invesco Field at Mile High.

A federal jury in New York awarded roughly $8 million in damages to Lewis after finding he had been ripped off by his promoter.

Miscellany

JaRon Rush, a former prep star who left UCLA in hopes of NBA stardom, was released by the Kansas City Knights of the ABA. Three weeks ago the Knights signed JaRon Rush to their practice squad. When he missed practice Wednesday, he was let go.

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A limousine driver was found shot to death at the estate of former New Jersey Net star Jayson Williams, authorities said. Police in Alexandria Township, N.J. classified the death as “suspicious.”

Costas Christofi, 55, was found with a shotgun wound to his chest at 2:54 a.m. inside a bedroom in the home, about 30 miles northwest of Trenton, Acting Hunterdon County Prosecutor Steven C. Lember said.

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A young woman jockey died in a hospital Thursday in Wellington, New Zealand after falling from a horse during a South Island race meeting and being trampled by following horses. Jo McGartland, 25, sustained severe head and chest injuries when she was thrown from her mount, True Justice, during the sixth race at the Amberley Racing Club’s meeting in the small town of Rangiora, 12 miles north of Christchurch.