Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 31, 1990 TAG: 9007310163
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"I'm leaving. I'm going to football," Sanders said Monday as he cleaned out his Yankee Stadium locker. "Maybe I'll be back next year with the Yankees."
Sanders, the Yankees and the Falcons had been involved in a three-sided wrangle over contracts and service responsibilities, and "it all came apart last night and this morning," the player said.
He'd been seeking a $1 million contract for the 1991 baseball season, but owner George Steinbrenner rejected that on Monday and broke off talks, the Yankees said.
"Under no circumstances could we offer Deion that kind of salary for the 1991 season," Steinbrenner said in a statement. "Even so, we still would like Deion to continue with the Yankees."
Sanders told Madison Square Garden Network on Monday evening that he never requested the $1 million contract.
The Falcons threatened Monday to sue the Yankees over Sanders, warning that it could cost Sanders more than $3 million to play baseball full-time. Whether the matter will be pursued now that Sanders has turned to football wasn't clear.
Sanders was hitting .158 for the Yankees, and some of his baseball teammates weren't too thrilled with talk of him getting a big deal. He has the lowest average of any major-leaguer with at least 125 at-bats.
"Aren't you supposed to be good at this game to make that kind of money?" pitcher Greg Cadaret said.
Sanders signed a $4.4 million, four-year contract with the Falcons last year after they made him the fifth pick in the NFL draft.
In other training-camp news:
Denver Broncos tight end Clarence Kay, already on the carpet before the NFL as a potential three-time loser for substance abuse, was arrested Monday following an incident at his ex-girlfriend's house, authorities in Denver said.
Police spokesman John Schnittgrund said Kay was arrested for disturbance, trespass and destruction of private property in breaking a window.
Curtis Green, who played defensive end in the NFL for nine years, looked around the Detroit Lions' training camp and decided it was time to get on with the rest of his life.
"We've got a lot of young talent out here and they're looking pretty good," Green said as he announced his retirement Monday. "I don't think I should be wasting my time if I'm not going to make the team. You've got to look out for yourself. I feel I should just step aside and let the young men get all the work they can because it's going to be a tough season this year."
Anthony Carter reached agreement in principle with the Minnesota Vikings on a contract that would make him one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL. Carter's representatives originally were looking for a four-year deal worth $5 million, up from the $450,000 he made last season. Neither Carter's attorney, Bob Woolf, nor general manager Mike Lynn would divulge terms of the contract.
Two-time Pro Bowl tight end Mark Bavaro of the New York Giants underwent surgery on his troublesome left knee and will miss at least a week of training camp. Bavaro needed the surgery to relieve irritation from a screw that was used to hold a ligament in place after the six-year pro had surgery in January.
After missing three days of training camp for personal reasons, Indianapolis Colts center Ray Donaldson reported. The 11-year pro, who has played in four straight Pro Bowls, was reportedly fined $4,500 for failing to report with the rest of the veterans Thursday.
Defensive end Garin Veris of the New England Patriots, who missed all of last season with a left knee injury, will be sidelined 6-8 weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
by CNB