Tony Dungy, the first African-American head coach to win the Super Bowl, walked away from pro football Monday, saying he was looking forward to what life has in store away from the NFL. “I’ve been tremendously blessed to play three years in the NFL and coach for 28, and those 31 years have been fantastic,” said the 53-year-old commander of the Indianapolis Colts. “… Don’t shed any tears for me. I’ve got to live a dream that most people don’t get to live. What phase two is, we’ll see…. I have a real peace about it that this is the right time.”  Read more about Dungy here.

 It looks like Indianapolis Colts star receiver Marvin Harrison is off the hook – at least for now – in a shooting that allegedly involved his rare, semi-automatic, foreign-made weapon. By the sound of Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham Tuesday morning, it is unlikely that the case of the April 29 shooting, which left convicted felon Dwight Dixon and three other people wounded at Harrison’s Philadelphia car wash, will ever be resolved. Why? Because Harrison and the victims, were largely uncooperative and provided “mutually exclusive” and contradictory accounts, Abraham said. “We’re not foolish,” Abraham told reporters at a news conference in her Center City office. “But knowing what happened and proving what happened are two different things. Do I prove my case? With these witnesses? I don’t think so.” From the beginning, Harrison has denied any involvement in Dixon’s shooting. He also denied that his unusual, Belgian, 5.7-mm, semiautomatic pistol has ever fired one of its armor-piercing bullets. “We’re confident of our police ballistics report,” Abraham said, stressing that the bullet that struck Dixon, 32, came from Harrison’s gun. She said that the 36-year-old Harrison had beefed with Dixon, who he had refused to allow into his nearby bar. “At this point, we have nobody,” Abraham said. “We don’t have anybody who will say they saw anybody fire a gun at anyone.”

Eagles’ Reid and McNabb Are Suddenly Golden
My, how things have changed in the City of Brotherly Love. It seemed like just yesterday that Philadelphia’s infamously fickle fans were willing to dump their all-time winning coach and Pro Bowl quarterback as the team fumbled away victories to such league also-rans as the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins. But on Sunday, shortly after Coach Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb had dismantled the Minnesota Viking’s powerful offense, Eagles’ owner Jeffrey Lurie made it clear that he had no intention of booting the duo and starting from scratch. “With Andy’s leadership, we were in four straight NFC championship games and a Super Bowl,” Lurie, who grew up in Beantown, told The Boston Globe. “We haven’t won a championship, but the quality of coaching and the quality of the performance of the team has been at a very high level.  I think if you know you have really good coaching, you want to surround it the best possible way. That’s more where we’re at – try to keep improving the team; try to maximize all our resources; and think strategically. It’s not about making the coach the target of frustration.” As for his quarterback, who is entering the final year of his contract, Lurie said, “Donovan has had a very good year, but it also has had its ups and downs. You have to know, in this sport, especially at the quarterback position, you’re going to have your ups and downs. Hopefully the ups are predominant, and he’s proven with him at quarterback, you have a very good chance of winning and winning big.” McNabb, who is under contract with the Eagles through the 2010 season (with a base salary of $9.2 million in 2009 and $10 million in 2010), has stated that he would like a new contract. The Eagles have “every intention of having him back,” Lurie said. “He’s been great to work with.”

Colts Coach Ponders Future in NFL
Will the NFL’s rapidly evaporating pool of Black head coaches get even more shallower over the next week? There’s a strong possibility that Indianapolis Colts Coach Tony Dungy could add his name to the list of African-Americans who are no longer commanding NFL teams when next season kicks off. But speculation about Dungy’s future is nothing new. For the past four years, at least, the Super Bowl-winning Dungy has announced that he would take a week off to decide whether he will return to Indianapolis or head back to his Tampa Bay home. This year marked Dungy’s NFL-record 10th straight playoff appearance. Unfortunately, his 23-17 overtime loss to the San Diego Charges was the fourth time in seven years that his powerful Colts bolted after just one playoff win. On Sunday, Dungy told NBC’s Al Michaels that if he stays, it’s because of the fans, MVP quarterback Peyton Manning and an owner who appreciates him. “When I do leave, I’m going to be leaving. Not taking a year off or two years off, so I want to make sure,” Dungy said. “I’m leaning a certain way, but every year I’ve kind of learned,” Dungy said. “My wife told me, ‘Don’t make a decision and then go back, so take some time’.”