In a move akin to the White House correspondent quitting on the eve of the State of the Union, Nunyo Demasio, the Washington Post's lead Redskins writer, announced yesterday he was leaving the paper for Sports Illustrated.

The Post, nuntoo happy with Nunyo's departure, has turned around and almost immediately posted the job. Writing that "the departure comes at a very difficult time, with the season under way, so we will begin a search for Nunyo's successor immediately," the job is now available. 'Skins fans, get your game on for this plum post:

A Farewll [sic] to Nunyo Demasio

Nunyo Demasio, who for three seasons has superbly handled what some have said is the most difficult beat at the newspaper, is leaving his job covering the Washington Redskins and going home. Sports Illustrated magazine has hired him as a staff writer covering the NFL. He'll be based in New York, close to family and the friends he made while learning the ropes at the Times and Daily News, writing some of the long-form pieces that made him such a great success here. He will also contribute breaking news coverage to the magazine's web site. Nunyo did many fine pieces but my favorite was his scoop this past winter, uncovering the fact that the Redskins had told disgruntled wide receiver Laveranues Coles that they would release him. It created a firestorm of denials by the team but in the end his reporting proved to be dead-on.

> Nunyo: the best business writer who never was.

> Harry Jaffe asks whether the Post's recent exodus is a reflection of the newspaper's changing status, but he also finds an influx of new talent.