3-time MVP Montana turns down star-studded get-together

SFGate.com ^ | February 6, 2006 | Ira Miller

[goarmy]

Detroit -- Joe Montana, the only three-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, was one of only three Super Bowl MVPs who turned down the NFL's invitation to take part in pregame ceremonies for Super Bowl XL.

Montana also declined the league's invitation for a news conference with all the MVPs after Commissioner Paul Tagliabue's Friday news conference.

"We were disappointed we weren't able to work it out with him," said Greg Aiello, the NFL's vice president of public relations.

The former MVPs were guaranteed $1,000 for incidental expenses while in Detroit. The NFL also provided each former Super Bowl MVP with two first-class airplane tickets, a hotel room, a Cadillac for the weekend, two tickets to the game, two tickets to the Friday night commissioner's party, two tickets to a Saturday night party and two tickets to a Sunday tailgate party. There also were opportunities for paid appearances arranged by the NFL.

To sources close to the league said Montana refused to attend over money. One of the sources said Montana asked for a guarantee of at least $100,000 for appearances if he came here, and the league said it would not make that guarantee. Tom Brady, who has won the Super Bowl MVP award twice, handled the coin toss to start the game, making him the first active player to perform that chore.

MVPs representing 32 of the 39 previous Super Bowls were on hand. Besides the 49ers' Montana, the only ones missing were Pittsburgh's Terry Bradshaw (a two-time MVP), Jake Scott (a Miami defensive back who was MVP in SB VII) and the late Harvey Martin (a Dallas defensive lineman who was co-MVP in SB XII). The issue with Bradshaw also reportedly was money; Scott is on vacation in Australia.

-snip-

[ops33]

That had to be the worse singing of the National Anthem I have ever endured. Half way through it I muted the TV. When are promoters going to learn that the National Anthem is not a rap song, its not a hip-hop song, its not a blues song, its not a rock song, its not a jazz song. They don't need to try and improve on it. If they can't find a singer who can sing it correctly get the USMC band to do it. They're the best.

[PLOM...NOT!]

Keith Richards died years ago, but the Grim Reaper is too scared of him to collect his body.

It sure looked like a "Weekend at Bernies" act to us too! Funny!

[<1/1,000,000th%]

LOL!!

[absolootezer0]

Some older players get bitter (and jealous) about the amounts of money that newer players get. It happens in every sport. Even though they were the highest paid players of their era, they see the mediocre nobodies of today getting more money than they ever got at the heights of their careers, and it drives them nuts.

we were discussing this last night in the bar. we were watching palmer playing golf and someone mentioned how much money that he had to be worth. i laughed and told the guy that his entire career earnings would probably be about the same as tiger made in one year. not because tiger is better, but because payouts have gotten to be outrageous.

[mollynme]

[1Old Pro]

Please move this article to General/Chat. My apologies.

Please file this under greedy over-paid ex sports stars.

[sissyjane]

Joe Montana is my football hero, and I don't believe this money cr** at all!! So there...(stamping foot).

[1Old Pro]

not because tiger is better, but because payouts have gotten to be outrageous

Actually, golfers and many other sports stars make 90% of their money by endorsements, not salary or purses.

Meaning Arnie probably kept up just fine. Norman made most of his money by selling the rights to his King Cobra line, something like 80 million. Tiger might win 10 million in prize money but he's making another 50 million in endorsements. Arnie has been doing commercials for years as well.

[birbear]

One is left to ponder whether Joe needs the money that badly, which is sad.

I forget what Joe made during his football career, but as I recall it was right before the mega multi-million dollar salaries that took off in the mid-late 80s.

Also, I think he might be hurtin' for a little cash. Have you seen his commercial for the football gadget that the kid straps to his waist, has a football on the end of a tether, that the kid can throw, and then retrieve the ball by himself? It's a pathetic product, made worse by a pathetic commercial. And Joe endorses it. I've seen infomercials for vitamins with better production value.

$100,000 seems a bit excessive for a non speaking appearance and a 30 second shot during the Super Bowl. But $1000 does sound insulting.

[absolootezer0]

i know, but you don't see arnie plastered all over everything the way you do tiger, and the nike endorsements are just crazy.
difference is, you'll remember arnie forever because he was good, you'll remember tiger forever because he was shoved in your face by nike. same with jordan. there were dozens of guys of old you'll always hear associated with basketball because of their skill. the new guys, you hear of them because of how much their endorsers shove them in your face.

[Plutarch]

Joe Montana's career right now is being a living breathing 3 time Super Bowl MVP.

The NFL was offering to provide him essentially a free infomercial touting his glorified status to an audience of tens of millions.

He should have been paying the NFL, not the other way around.

[Bob]

that will be an interesting autopsy

I can only hope that the pathologist is up-to-date on his hazmat protocols. :=)

[InvisibleChurch]

ouch!

[jjmcgo]

The NFL had a rookie running the Super Bowl and they offered chump change to the game's biggest stars for a for-profit event. Not a good idea to offend the NFL's biggest stars in your debut and then have league underlings like Aiello seeking out sycophant writers to damage the reputations of people we know and like.
If the NFL had announced they were donating $10 million to charity, I'll bet Bradshaw and Montana would have been the first ones there.
The people who should be embarassed are the lowballers and the backstage sneaks trying to impugn the reputations of people greater than themselves.

[DarkSavant]

In a phone interview with "Quite Frankly" host Stephen A. Smith on Monday night, Montana vehemently denied forgoing the ceremony over money and reiterated that his absence was due to his preference to see his son's basketball game.

Now I remember why I loved that guy so much.

[Ghengis]

You got that right! The 49ers under Walsh would have slaughtered either team

Last Sunday's game closely resembled Superbowl XXIII, where Walsh's 49ers barely squeezed one out against the Bengals. I'd put either team from Superbowl XL against that 49ers team.

Last Sunday's game was not the best Superbowl and it was not the worst.

[gaspar]

It was not the best or worst, but certainly the most mediocre.

[Ro_Thunder]

Whoa whoa whoa...

America the Beautiful, and God Bless America, while nice songs, do not raise my backbone - or give me that extra spiffy feeling. Sorry, it just doesn't do it for me.

But when the tuba's and baritone's start in "Bwam, bwam bwam bwam bwaaaaaaM" Man, I get a semi. That's just awesome...

[Steve_Seattle]

Now I've heard Montana's side. Who do you believe? It does seem hard for me to believe that Montana - who I'm sure is set for life - would demand that kind of money for an appearance that included all the other MVPs.

[Steve_Seattle]

"It was not the best or worst, but certainly the most mediocre."

I don't know about that. I think today's teams are bigger, faster, stronger, and better coached than the teams of the 60s and 70s.