Kelly Retires After 11 Years As Bills’ Qb

Over the years, they went through their biggest victories and most frustrating losses together. When Jim Kelly announced his retirement, he and the Buffalo Bills cried together.

Kelly, stopping several times to keep his voice from cracking, ended his 11-year NFL career with nine teammates at his side. He leaves without winning a Super Bowl in four tries.

“To leave and not be a part of this team is something that will be very difficult to swallow,” said Kelly, looking toward teammates Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith and Kent Hull. “I also know in my stomach and in my heart, it’s time to move on.”

Kelly, 36, is widely considered the greatest quarterback in Bills history, having completed 60 percent of his passes for 35,467 yards, 237 touchdowns and 175 interceptions. He turned the franchise around and gave hope to a football town but never achieved the ultimate goal of an NFL title.

Parcells leaves Patriots

The Patriots are in Bill Parcells’ past, but the New York Jets may not be in his future if New England owner Robert Kraft sticks to his demand for the top pick in the NFL draft.

Parcells stepped down Friday after four years as Patriots coach. He had nowhere to go because negotiations with New York, which wants him as its coach, were unresolved.

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue ruled Wednesday that Parcells’ contract prohibits him from working for any other NFL team without the Patriots’ consent. And that consent will be costly.

“I’m making my position clear,” Kraft said Friday. “I’m not playing chicken. I’m not bluffing. I’m not even threatening. I’m just saying, ‘guys, if you want Bill as your coach in ‘97, make sure your first-round draft choice is there in its current position.”’

Going for a million

Lance Alstodt, 26, who works for Chase Manhattan Corp.’s Chase Securities, will have one chance to make a 35-yard field goal at Sunday’s Pro Bowl in Hawaii. If he makes it, he’ll earn $1 million as winner of Hershey Foods Corp.’s $1 Million Pro Bowl Sweepstakes.

He was one of four people picked from more than 200,000 entries to take part in a preliminary competition in Miami in January. By making all three of his field-goal attempts - from 10, 20 and 30 yards - Alstodt, a former college soccer player at State University of New York-Albany, earned himself a trip to Hawaii to try for the $1 million.

Dallas owner places coaches under gag order

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has issued a memo preventing anyone in the organization from discussing football-related matters with the media.

The directive includes coach Barry Switzer. Jones said it will last until after the NFL draft on April 19-20 and could extend through training camp.

“We are basically going to go through one spokesman and that’s me,” Jones said. “It has to do with our strategic position regarding free agents, regarding the draft, regarding the impact any comments we make about players or about our football team, because it impacts what we’re doing.”

Assistant coaches on the move

Moving to fill a major void, the Washington Redskins have reassigned tight ends coach Russ Grimm to the offensive line, where he will replace Jim Hanifan, who has gone to the St. Louis Rams as offensive line coach. … After two years of retirement, Bud Carson, 65, is returning to the NFL as the Rams’ defensive coordinator. … San Francisco 49ers coach Steve Mariucci has hired Green Bay quarterbacks coach Marty Mornhinweg as his offensive coordinator. Also hired by the 49ers were former San Francisco fullback Tom Rathman, whose primary duty will be to revive the 49ers’ running game, and secondary coach Jim Mora Jr. Left undecided by the 49ers is the status of defensive coordinator Pete Carroll, who is a primary candidate to become head coach of the Patriots.