Poll: What could Buccaneers do with $30 million?

$30 million. That's how far the Bucs are under the salary cap — the widest margin of any team in the NFL. Would spending more have made them better this year? Well, have you seen them play? John Romano asks.

What is the team's biggest problem?

Lack of financial commitment from ownership
Inexperienced/ineffective coaching
They got old; they're rebuilding
Other (Share your comments below)

Glazer family sells Zapata to hedge fund

Our friends in the Times/tampabay.com Business department have posted an interested item to their Venture Blog about the Glazer family selling its majority stake in Zapata Corp. to a hedge fund for $74 million. Of course, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers owners have a heavy relationship with hedge funds that loaned them money for the purchase of Manchester United. Still unclear is what the Glazers overall financial situation is, but Zapata was an important investment, serving as a holding company for other businesses. Malcolm Glazer's son, Avram, is chief executive officer of Zapata. 

Manchester United accepts record $131M Madrid bid for Ronaldo

LONDON (AP) -- Manchester United accepted a world-record transfer offer for Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid on Thursday, clearing the World Player of the Year to negotiate personal terms with the Spanish club.

The Premier League champions received an unconditional offer of $131 million for Ronaldo, and unlike last offseason is willing to see its 24-year-old star join a major European rival.

But now a world-record bid appears too hard to resist for a club whose debts have spiraled to nearly $1 billion.

Read the whole story here.

Manchester United worth $1.87 billion

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson defended owner Malcolm Glazer on Friday, a day after the club reported a debt nearing $1 billion.

Glazer, who also owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, restructured payments of the loan to buy the club two years ago, which took $66.9 million annually out of United's profits, according to 2007-08 financial report revealed Thursday.

The club announced before the financial release that no officials would be available for comment. But Ferguson has never had any complaints about Glazer, who took over Man United in 2005, because he has been backed on player signings in the transfer market.

"Their support has never changed," Ferguson said Friday. "I do not know what these figures tell you. There has always been debt since Malcolm Glazer took over the club. Most buyouts are like that. But there is no change as far as I am concerned."

While United's profits after winning the Premier League and Champions League rose to $118.3 million in the fiscal year ending June 2008, the overall debt is $954.6 million.

According to Forbes magazine this week, United is worth $1.87 billion and the world's most valuable soccer club.

Glazer's Man U posts pretax loss of $65.9-million

MANCHESTER, England (AP) - Manchester United's parent company posted a pretax loss of $65.9 million last season despite an improved operating profit by the club after winning both the Premier and Champions League.

Figures released on Thursday by Companies House showed that United's operating profit went up by $7.35 million to $118.3 million in the fiscal year ending June 2008. The results revealed increased TV revenues and bonuses from title successes, confirming that the club maintains a strong marketing brand around the world.

But the continued debt repayments by Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer, who took out a loan to buy the club in 2005, meant the balance sheet showed another loss.

The club is also looking for a new shirt sponsor to replace American International Group (AIG), which collapsed last year and was bailed by the U.S. government.

Bucs present new brain trust

Raheem Morris completed a rapid ascension from position coach to head coach on Saturday, saying that he is "really fired up for this opportunity." Morris replaces Jon Gruden, who won a Super Bowl in his seven seasons but was fired Friday.

Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said that Morris, 32, and new general manager Mark Dominik, 37, "have Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their DNA." They have spent virtually their entire National Football League careers with the Bucs, Glazer said, navigating a "clear and steady path from the bottom to the top."

Glazer said that Morris essentially has been on a "7-year job interview, trained by the brightest minds in the National Football League."

Morris said he received the job offer Friday afternoon, but he provided few other details on how this succession took place or who would make up his coaching staff.