Missing aide has spoken with Dungy

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy spoke with a Buccaneers assistant who has been missing since last weekend but shed little light Wednesday on his whereabouts

"There's not really a lot new to report," Dungy said of Wendell Avery. "The only thing I know is he is fine. But other than that I don't really have a lot of information."

Avery, 44, was last seen by the team during a staff meeting Saturday night in Atlanta, about 15 hours before the Bucs played the Falcons at the Georgia Dome. He did not attend the game Sunday and a missing person's report was filed the following day with Atlanta police, who have asked for the public's help in locating him.

Dungy declined to say when he had spoken with Avery, a former college teammate who is in his second season as an offensive assistant with the Bucs. His duties with the team include analyzing film of opponents and preparing scouting reports.

"I've just talked to him one time personally, and again (Avery) didn't share a lot of information with me at that point ... To our knowledge, his well-being is OK. That's the biggest concern. Now it's just a matter of getting back and going from there. But I really don't have a lot of information, so we're just going to wait to see what happens."

Atlanta police, who are still listing Avery as missing, are hoping to have "more direct contact" with the assistant coach, said department spokesman John Quigley.

"Obviously, he's alive and that's most important to us," Quigley said, adding that police believe Avery is still in the Atlanta area.