Posted on 02/07/2006 3:55:32 AM PST by 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.
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(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Former 49ers quarterback Joe Montana and former Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw decided to stay home, while former Dolphins MVP Jake Scott was traveling in Australia.
Montana, the league's only three-time Super Bowl MVP, and Bradshaw reportedly turned down the invitation over money.
Both denied the reports.
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.
Montana told ESPN last week that he wasn't going to attend the Super Bowl because his son had an important basketball game he wanted to attend. Bradshaw, according to the Chronicle, told league officials he wanted to be with his family.
Montana said money was never an issue and that he would not have attended the Super Bowl ceremony even if the appearance fee had been greater than the $100,000 he was reported to have requested.
Former MVPs were given $1,000 for incidental expenses while in Detroit, along with other amenities such as plane tickets, car rental and game tickets.
Sources told each paper that Montana asked for a guarantee of at least $100,000 in appearance money.
When the league balked at Montana's demands, the quarterback declined to be in attendance.
Bradshaw, through a representative, denied the Chronicle's report that there was a dispute over money.
http://www.49erswebzone.com/cgi-bin/news/news.cgi?action=display&num=2223
Please move this article to General/Chat. My apologies.
Montana probably saw a better game.
Good for Montana.
The NFL turned it into a product promotion anyway and were surely well-paid for that.
From ESPN: In a phone interview with "Quite Frankly" host Stephen A. Smith on Monday night, Montana vehemently denied forgoing the ceremony over money
Who you gonna believe???
I wish they would have paid Joe $100,000 to sing the national anthem.
when they say it's not about the money, it's about the money .... agreed about the anthem/ can't anybody just sing it?
I watched Terry on Leno last night. He said that it wasn't about money. He doesn't go to superbowls. Too much of a zoo.
He needs to do more situps and quit bitching about the ex who apparently took him to the cleaners. He also tried to get a plug in for his quarter horse breeding business.
Terry must be hung like a horse!
If Montana was busy, I can't figure out why they didn't call me. I would have gone.
Right. Why would anyone want to travel to a place like Detroit -- especially in February -- to watch a game between two teams that wouldn't even have made the playoffs back in Montana's day?
Say it ain't so Joe....
The NFL bitching about players being mercenary is kind of like a street hooker complaining that popular fashions have gotten too "racy".
Isn't this a guy who went back to playing during the player's strike, because he wanted the money? For Joe, it's always been about the money.
Still, a lousy grand is kind of insulting. Did the Stones get paid more than that?
Which one?
great observation!
So, who has a kids' basketball game on Super Bowl Sunday? 'Cause he could have travelled on the day of the event.
I'd tend to agree. Now, if the game had been in Miami, Atlanta, or San Diego, I'm guessing Joe might have reconsidered.
My offer from the NFL was 2 roundtrip bus tickets (cargo class only), free breakfast at the Hampton Inn, (no room, just their free breakfast), 2 tickets to watch the Oprah Winfrey Show at the Circuit City of my choice, a free broom to sweep with after all of the parties were over, water fountain privledges, a Yugo to drive while there, (if it would start). I also got to watch the game, not at the Dome, but outside in the team bus as I was cleaning it. And Joe and Terry say it isn't about the money! Waaaahhhh! :0 )
And what's his excuse?
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Exactly, better late than never and he could have joined Keith Richards (also late) at half-time.
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