DEION SANDERS retires from football rather than report to Washington Redskins

Saturday, July 28th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) _ Deion Sanders, the only man to play in both the World Series and Super Bowl, retired from football Friday, cutting his losses rather than report to the Washington Redskins.

The announcement didn't come with the star cornerback's usual flash or any glowing words _ rather just as a one-paragraph announcement from Redskins coach Marty Schottenheimer.

Sanders retired a day after leaving the Syracuse SkyChiefs minor league baseball team, and two days before he was obligated to report to Washington's training camp. Had he not retired, he could have forfeited up to $6.86 million of his $8 million signing bonus.

The 33-year-old athlete played football for Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas and Washington, winning Super Bowls with the 49ers and Cowboys. In 1996 with Dallas, he became the NFL's first two-way starter since Chuck Bednarik in 1962.

Sanders holds the NFL record with 18 touchdowns on returns _ fumbles, kickoffs, punts and interceptions. He has 48 career interceptions, including eight returned for touchdowns.

He played major league baseball with the New York Yankees, Atlanta, Cincinnati and San Francisco, appearing in the 1992 World Series with the Braves.