FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham and San Francisco 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams have become the latest general manager candidates to be interviewed by the Atlanta Falcons, the team announced on Friday.
Cunningham and Williams first interviewed for the president of football position given to former longtime quarterback Matt Ryan. That interest makes them considered to be top candidates in the search for a general manager. Ryan is leading the search for the position as the latest step in the makeover of the team leadership.
Owner Arthur Blank fired coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot after an 8-9 finish, the team's eighth consecutive losing season. The Falcons hired former Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski to replace Morris. On Thursday, Tommy Rees, who worked on Stefanski's staff in Cleveland, was named offensive coordinator after Stefanski retained Jeff Ulbrich as defensive coordinator.
Cunningham has worked the last four seasons as the Bears' assistant general manager following five seasons in various roles with the Philadelphia Eagles, including as director of player personnel.
Cunningham has worked in Chicago with general manager Ryan Poles, who was Ryan's college teammate at Boston College.
Williams has worked the last 15 seasons with the 49ers, including the last two as director of scouting and football operations.
Ryan and the Falcons previously interviewed Houston Texans assistant general manager James Liipfert and Pittsburgh Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl.
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Former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan speaks during a news conference as the new Atlanta Falcons president of football, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Flowery Branch, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
FILE - Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham poses for a photo April 28, 2022, in Lake Forest, Ill. (AP Photo, File)
MIAMI (AP) — A former Miami Heat security officer has been sentenced to three years in federal prison and ordered to pay nearly $1.9 million in restitution for stealing hundreds of game-worn jerseys and other valuable sports memorabilia while working for the team.
Marcos Thomas Perez, 62, was sentenced earlier this month, according to court records. He pleaded guilty last August to transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce.
The 25-year retired veteran of the Miami Police Department worked for the Heat from 2016 to 2021 and as an NBA security employee from 2022 to 2025.
“This defendant was a former police officer who betrayed the public trust and exploited his access to our beloved hometown team for personal gain,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quiñones said in a statement. “The Miami Heat represent excellence built through hard work and discipline in South Florida — and this conduct was the opposite."
According to federal prosecutors and the FBI, Perez stole more than 400 jerseys and other items from a secured equipment room and sold items through various online marketplaces. He had access because he worked on the game-day security detail at the Kaseya Center. He was one of a few employees with access to a secured equipment room that stored memorabilia the Heat organization planned to display in a future team museum.
Over a three-year period, authorities say Perez sold more than 100 stolen items for approximately $1.9 million and shipped them across state lines, often at bargain prices. They say he sold a Miami Heat jersey LeBron James wore during the NBA Finals for approximately $100,000. That same jersey later sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $3.7 million.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Perez’s home last April and recovered nearly 300 additional stolen game-worn jerseys and memorabilia, officials said. The Miami Heat confirmed the items had been stolen from their facility.
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FILE - Miami Heat's LeBron James (6) gestures after a play against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half in Game 7 of the NBA basketball championships, June 20, 2013, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
