Jets put up for sale by Hess estate HEMPSTEAD, New York, May 21 (AFP) - Two weeks after the death of owner Leon Hess, the New York Jets officially are for sale. The Jets announced Friday that the estate of the late owner has hired Goldman Sachs and Co. to manage the sale process of the team, confirming speculation that Hess did not wish to pass the team onto his family. Hess, who four months ago was within one game of seeing his team advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in three decades, died May 7 of complications from a blood disease. He was 85. No timetable was given to complete a sale, and coach Bill Parcells will continue to have complete authority over football operations. Team president Steve Gutman will remain in charge of business operations and will assist in the sale process. Hess' will stipulated that the team be put up for sale upon his death. It is believed that 44-year-old John B. Hess, who succeeded his father as chairman of the Amerada Hess Corporation, a gas and oil company, has no intestest in owning the National Football League club. But there should be no shortage of suitors for the Jets, who were 12-4 under Parcells last season and won their first division title since the AFL-NFL merger. New York reached the AFC championship game before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, 23-10. Cablevision chairman Charles Dolan reportedly is among the leading candidates. Cablevision is already deeply entrenched in the New York sports scene as majority owner of Madison Square Garden, the NBA's Knicks and the NHL's Rangers. The company also announced Thursday it will become a partner with the New Jersey Devils in a plan to build an arena in Hoboken, New Jersey. There is speculation that the Jets could be worth in the 500 million-dollar range. The NFL this week voted to recommend the sale of the Washington Redskins for 800 million dollars to Daniel Snyder, a deal that includes the sale of the team's new stadium. bb99  