Bucs CB Barber to retires after 16 seasons

Three-time All-Pro Ronde Barber is retiring after a 16-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that included a Super Bowl title and five Pro Bowl appearances.

The Bucs announced Wednesday night that the 38-year-old twin brother of former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber will not return to play on a defense overhauled since the end of last season. Tampa Bay acquired Darrelle Revis, Dashon Goldson and second-round draft pick Johnthan Banks for its secondary.

The retirement was first reported by Fox Sports.com, who quoted Barber as saying: "I've had a better run than I ever could've dreamed of having."

Tiki Barber, who retired from the Giants after the 2006 season, had a post on his Twitter account that read: "Congrats & happy for my twin, Ronde, who's hanging up the cleats!"

Ronde Barber played cornerback for 15 seasons before moving to safety last year. He played his entire career with the Bucs and is the franchise leader in interceptions with 47. He also scored eight touchdowns and had 28 sacks in 241 games.

"Ronde is synonymous with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, establishing himself as one of our franchise's iconic players over a 16-year, Hall of Fame-worthy career," Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said in a statement. "When anyone thinks of Ronde, they think of a true professional and leader. He approached every day the same, giving everything he had to make himself and his teammates the best they could be. We will miss him."

Barber was a third-round pick out of Virginia is 1997 and struggled early in his career, appearing in just one game as a rookie. He finished with a stretch of 215 consecutive starts, tied for the sixth-longest streak in NFL history.

A team captain for the past nine years, Barber made the transition from cornerback to safety in 2012, Tampa Bay's first season under coach Greg Schiano.

Schiano's top priority this offseason was revamping a secondary that nearly set a league record for most yards passing allowed in a season.

The Bucs began reshaping the defense with the signing of Goldson, an All-Pro safety last season in San Francisco, to a five-year, $41.25 million deal in free agency. Last month, the team traded the 13th overall pick in the draft to the New York Jets in exchange for Revis, a three-time All Pro cornerback who also got a new six-year, $96 million contract.

With veteran Eric Wright returning and last year's No. 1 draft pick Mark Barron entering his second season at safety, that left little room for Barber in Tampa Bay's plans — especially after Banks was selected in the second round of the draft to compete with Wright for a starting job.

Barber is the only player in NFL history with 40-plus interceptions and 25 or more sacks. He returned eight picks for regular-season touchdowns and clinched Tampa Bay's victory over Philadelphia in the 2002 NFC championship game with a 92-yard return for a TD off Donovan McNabb.

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Ronde Barber to retire after 16 seasons with Bucs

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Three-time All-Pro Ronde Barber is retiring after a 16-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that included a Super Bowl title and five Pro Bowl appearances.

The Bucs announced Wednesday night that the 38-year-old twin brother of former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber will not return to play on a defense overhauled since the end of last season. Tampa Bay acquired Darrelle Revis, Dashon Goldson and second-round draft pick Johnthan Banks for its secondary.

The retirement was first reported by Fox Sports.com, who quoted Barber as saying: "I've had a better run than I ever could've dreamed of having."

Tiki Barber, who retired from the Giants after the 2006 season, had a post on his Twitter account that read: "Congrats & happy for my twin, Ronde, who's hanging up the cleats!"

Ronde Barber played cornerback for 15 seasons before moving to safety last year. He played his entire career with the Bucs and is the franchise leader in interceptions with 47. He also scored eight touchdowns and had 28 sacks in 241 games.

"Ronde is synonymous with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, establishing himself as one of our franchise's iconic players over a 16-year, Hall of Fame-worthy career," Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said in a statement. "When anyone thinks of Ronde, they think of a true professional and leader. He approached every day the same, giving everything he had to make himself and his teammates the best they could be. We will miss him."

Barber was a third-round pick out of Virginia is 1997 and struggled early in his career, appearing in just one game as a rookie. He finished with a stretch of 215 consecutive starts, tied for the sixth-longest streak in NFL history.

A team captain for the past nine years, Barber made the transition from cornerback to safety in 2012, Tampa Bay's first season under coach Greg Schiano.

Schiano's top priority this offseason was revamping a secondary that nearly set a league record for most yards passing allowed in a season.

The Bucs began reshaping the defense with the signing of Goldson, an All-Pro safety last season in San Francisco, to a five-year, $41.25 million deal in free agency. Last month, the team traded the 13th overall pick in the draft to the New York Jets in exchange for Revis, a three-time All Pro cornerback who also got a new six-year, $96 million contract.

With veteran Eric Wright returning and last year's No. 1 draft pick Mark Barron entering his second season at safety, that left little room for Barber in Tampa Bay's plans — especially after Banks was selected in the second round of the draft to compete with Wright for a starting job.

Barber is the only player in NFL history with 40-plus interceptions and 25 or more sacks. He returned eight picks for regular-season touchdowns and clinched Tampa Bay's victory over Philadelphia in the 2002 NFC championship game with a 92-yard return for a TD off Donovan McNabb.

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Tebow Time in New York over after Jets cut QB

The possibilities appeared endless for Tim Tebow.

Here he was, perhaps the most popular player in the NFL, in New York as a member of the Jets and maybe the biggest thing to hit Broadway since Joe Namath himself.

There were billboards outside the Lincoln Tunnel in New Jersey welcoming Tebow, and sandwiches named after him at Manhattan delis. He also had a legion of fans who followed him because of his strong Christian beliefs, and in New York, he would be able to take advantage of countless media and marketing opportunities.

And then, it all went terribly wrong.

Or, more like it, the whole idea was completely flawed from the start. For Tebow. And for the Jets.

Tebow was waived Monday morning, the end of an embarrassingly unsuccessful one-season experiment in New York that produced more hype and headlines than production on the field. And it all ended quietly, with a three-paragraph news release.

"Unfortunately," coach Rex Ryan said in a statement, "things did not work out the way we all had hoped."

It also left Tebow's football future very much in doubt.

A year after he threw a TD pass to win a playoff game in overtime for Denver, the Heisman Trophy winner with two college national titles at Florida and a nationwide following may have suited up for the last time.

Tebow took to Twitter a few hours after being waived, citing a bible verse: "Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding," Tebow wrote, "in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

No NFL team has made a pitch to get him. The only nibble so far came from the Montreal Alouettes. They hold his rights in the Canadian Football League and said he could come compete for a job — as a backup.

"Had this happened back in February, he might have had a chance to at least participate in free agency," said 2002 NFL MVP quarterback Rich Gannon, now an analyst for CBS Sports and SiriusXM NFL Radio. "I don't think there would have been a strong market for him, but at least he would've had that opportunity."

Gannon added that it's an even tougher situation for Tebow now because more than 20 quarterbacks were either drafted or signed as undrafted free agents in the last few days.

"Look, it's a two-way street, though," Gannon said. "It's a business. The Jets were trying to find somebody, a dance partner. Sometimes that goes into the draft and teams are calling around. I'm sure the Jets were trying to shop Tebow, and I'm sure they kept getting denied."

This is the same guy who led the Broncos to the postseason in 2011, but became expendable when Denver signed Peyton Manning as a free agent. The popular backup quarterback was acquired by the Jets in March 2012 for a fourth-round draft pick and $1.5 million in salary. He was introduced at the Jets' facility to plenty of fanfare at a lavish news conference, with Tebow repeatedly saying he was "excited" to be in New York.

It turned out to be one of the few high points in Tebow's stay with the Jets. Along with his shirtless jog from the practice field in the rain during training camp, of course.

The Jets never figured out a way to use Tebow effectively, and he never forced the issue by being a good enough player in practice to make Ryan and his coaches put him on the field more in games.

"If he were to happen to call me, I would say, 'Look, you're starting over,'" former NFL GM Ted Sundquist said. "Tim Tebow needs to redefine who Tim Tebow is, in my opinion. He's no longer a first-round quarterback."

Even recently retired Jets special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff labeled the way the team used Tebow an "absolute mess."

It all cost Tebow his job, along with former general manager Mike Tannenbaum and former offensive coordinator Tony Sparano — both fired in part because of their roles in what was one of the NFL's messiest quarterback situations in recent memory. It also seriously clouds Tebow's NFL future, which might be extended only, in some people's opinion, if he considers a position change.

"I don't see any team giving him a chance because teams don't want to deal with the following that comes with Tebow," ESPN analyst and former NFL offensive lineman Damien Woody said. "Maybe Canada."

Added Gannon: "I don't know. He's just in a bad spot."

Tebow was brought to New York to be a dynamic addition to the offense, a complement to Mark Sanchez and a merchandising touchdown for the Jets. Instead, he attempted just eight passes for 39 yards and rushed 32 times for 102 yards — and stunningly had no touchdowns.

Through it all, Tebow tried to hide his frustration, but acknowledged late in the season that things didn't turn out quite how he expected in New York.

"I think it's fair to say," Tebow said, "that I'm a little disappointed."

It's an amazing fall for a player whose No. 15 Broncos jersey ranked second in national sales to Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers in 2011.

"He seems like a great kid," Sundquist said, "and it seems like he could bring some positives to a club if he can just bury this whole thing about him being in your quarterback mix and just let him be No. 39 on your roster, one of your back-end guys who can go somewhere and help you win."

The Jets and new general manager John Idzik drafted former West Virginia star Geno Smith in the second round of the NFL draft Friday, giving New York six quarterbacks on its roster — and creating uncertainty about Sanchez's future as well.

Tebow, who dropped about 15 pounds in the last few months, arrived at the team's facility in Florham Park, N.J., early Monday and was told he had been cut.

"Tim is an extremely hard worker, evident by the shape he came back in this offseason," Ryan said. "We wish him the best moving forward."

But, where to next for Tebow?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have already ruled themselves out of giving Tebow a happy homecoming. But maybe the Chicago Bears, whose new head coach Marc Trestman tutored Tebow before the NFL draft in 2010, could give him a look as their backup.

Perhaps the San Diego Chargers would take a chance on him, adding to the circus-like atmosphere they'll likely have because they drafted Manti Te'o. New coach Mike McCoy was Tebow's offensive coordinator in Denver during the 2011 season, when the quarterback took over the offense and led the Broncos to comeback after comeback.

What about Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots? They're no strangers to turning discarded players — Wes Welker, Danny Woodhead, even Randy Moss — into big-time playmakers, and it would give Belichick another chance to tweak the Jets.

Then, there's always the Canadian Football League, but whether Tebow would even be open to a move north of the U.S. border is uncertain.

"If you can find a club that's mature enough to handle it as an organization, then you're going to find the right spot for him," Sundquist said. "What I mean by that is all the media mania and that sort of thing. The club says, 'Look, this is the reason we're bringing him on. We feel he can bring X, Y, Z and A, B, C to the table.' Explain it to Tim, explain it to the media, explain it to your fan base and explain it to your organization."

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Sixty years after his death, Jim Thorpe's family feuds over body

By Joe McDonald

JIM THORPE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - The tiny hamlet of Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, could lose its namesake, an American sports hero whose interment put the town on the map.

A family squabble has turned into a federal court battle over the remains of the legendary Native American athlete and Olympic medalist, who died in 1953 and whose life was depicted in "All American," a 1951 movie starring Burt Lancaster.

The dispute could take an important turn this week, when the borough court will announce on Thursday whether it will appeal a federal district court judge's decision that could eventually clear the way for Thorpe's remains to leave town.

Town Mayor Michael Sofranko said the council will respond to the input it gets from local residents--who number less than 5,000, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

"Residents need to say, ‘I want the body to stay here,'" he said.

Jim Thorpe never lived in the eastern Pennsylvania town that took his name, but his remains were placed in a mausoleum here in an agreement with his widow allowing the settlement to be named after him.

Six decades later, a feud over where Thorpe should be buried has pitted his two sons, who want to move him back to native lands in Oklahoma, against his grandchildren, who want him to stay in the Pennsylvania town that erected statues and a monument "to one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century."

The battle escalated last month, when senior U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo issued a ruling in Harrisburg, PA, that upheld a federal law protecting Native American remains and ordered the borough to comply with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The order requires the borough to hire an archaeologist who will conduct an inventory of the remains.

After the ruling became front-page news in the local media, a resident of the nearby town of Lehighton, Jim Deeble and his wife Lorraine, said he was driven to visit the site after hearing that the body could be moved out of town.

"I think he should stay planted where he is," said Deeble, 73, a retired engineer, as he gazed at the memorial. "I don't see any purpose moving him around."

John Thorpe, 56, a grandson who lives in South Lake Tahoe, California, agrees. The grandson said he spoke to a traditional healer during a sun dance in Bastrop, Texas. "He told me that my grandfather made contact with him, and my grandfather told the medicine man, ‘I'm at peace and want no more pain created in my name.'"

Another grandson, Mike Koehler, 74, who lives in Minocqua, Wisconsin, said the remains should be left where they are.

"Leave the man alone!," said Koehler. "For God's sake, let him rest in peace."

The current burial site of his grandfather, who played professional baseball and football and won gold medals at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden, happened by chance. The renowned athlete's third wife, Patricia, now deceased, was looking for a place to bury her husband when she saw a television report about two small towns, Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk, that were seeking to merge under a new name in 1953.

"She felt something needed to be done and she was in Pennsylvania at the time," John Thorpe said. "Patsy and the town came up with an agreement he would be buried there and the town would change its name and erect a monument."

One of Thorpe's sons, Bill Thorpe, 84, of Arlington, Texas has a different take on how his father's body ended up in Pennsylvania. He said his father's wife "farmed" his remains around to several cities after Thorpe died of a heart attack in California, where he lived a near-destitute existence in a mobile home.

"I think she was shopping his body, really," said Bill Thorpe.

He and his brother, Richard, are plaintiffs along with the Sac and Fox Nation, in the 2010 suit which lays the groundwork for the possible return of Thorpe's remains to Oklahoma.

If the borough does lose its namesake, few people think it would be the death knell for its vibrant tourist industry, which features train rides, whitewater rafting, quaint shops and restaurants, and tours of the old jail and gallows where migrant Irish coal miners known as the Molly Maguires were hanged in the 1880s.

(Reporting by Joe McDonald; Editing by Barbara Goldberg, Arlene Getz and Alden Bentley)

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