Montana doesn't do MVP Super Bowl Show over money

[HoustonFrog]

What a joke. We are hearing stuff about VY and Bush and money and then I hear that Joe Montana didn't show up for the MVP ceremony before the SB because he wasn't guaranteed enough money. What a joke.

[powerfuldragon]

all i can say in his defense is that he is Joe Montana.

[BigBull17]

Terry Bradshaw didnt show up either, whats his reason. And I think its sad that Montana wouldnt show for money, give me a break.

[Kaiser Toro]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playof...ory?id=2321024

When the NFL unveiled its MVPs from the previous 39 Super Bowls, only three living members skipped the ceremony.

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, turned down the invitation over money, Newsday and the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Bradshaw, who told league officials that he wanted to be with his family, also took issue with the fees, the Chronicle reported. Bradshaw, through a representative, denied the Chronicle's report that there was a dispute over money.

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

[HoustonFrog]

That is what I heard Kaiser. The radio show did stick with the Bradshaw and family story. They said there might also be some bitterness towards the fans of Pittsburgh. The Montana thing..he is Montana..but look who all showed up..that is bush league.

[Kaiser Toro]

I can see his side as it is his brand name and it commands a certain fee. However, it is the grand stage of football and he has wirtten a number of chapters in SB history. This could have been handled better by the league and Montana.

[Double Barrel]

Joe Montana is a legend. The NFL needs his image more than he needs anything from football at this point. He has given what he had to give, and he knows the NFL is raking in hundreds of billions of dollars for the Superbowl. Giving out $1000 is chump change to these guys, and is indicative of the NFL being more representative of owners' financial interests more than anything.

I thought the MVP introductions was cheese to begin with, but I'm more for the football game itself than the overall event.

[Texan Asylum]

Perhaps they found out that the game was rigged, as another thread would suggest, and didn't want anything to do with it. Three Lone Rangers in a whole league of sell-outs.

[nunusguy]

Montana proved again something I've known for a long time, he is not in the
same class with the likes of Elway, Marino, & Aikman.

[Hervoyel]

Joe Montana needs nothing from the NFL at this point, I'll conceed that. He's apparently forgotten that without the NFL he would be "relatively speaking" nothing.

$100,000 to simply appear? Joe Montana is stupid if he thinks anyone would be asking him to appear had he not played in the NFL and been a Super Bowl MVP. It would have benefited him to go back and rub shoulders with those other great players and to have been seen on the Super Bowl broadcast.

I didn't know he was this stupid.

[Blake]

To the NFL. Dont think you can have anyone you want come stand on the field, just because you want them to. Montana gets 100,000 for appearances. What do you want him to do? Appear... The NFL has the money, if they want him to appear for them.

And to those who think he owes the NFL anything, think again. Montana made just as much, if not more money for the NFL, than Montana made from the NFL. Its a 2 way street.

[Hervoyel]

Originally Posted by THE NFL DRAFT

To the NFL. Dont think you can have anyone you want come stand on the field, just because you want them to. Montana gets 100,000 for appearances. What do you want him to do? Appear... The NFL has the money, if they want him to appear for them.

And to those who think he owes the NFL anything, think again. Montana made just as much, if not more money for the NFL, than Montana made from the NFL. Its a 2 way street.

There's a difference between the kind of appearance that Montana makes for $100,000 and being asked to stand up with 39 Super Bowl MVP's. One is a money making opportunity and the other is the reason why you can make that money.

Take away the NFL and what is Joe Montana? He's a former college QB who's trying to make a living in whatever line of work he decided to go into. Playing in the NFL gave him the opportunity to command $100,000 for an appearance. I don't think he owes them anything, I think he was stupid not to use the opportunity to reinforce his place among those legends. Doing things like that keep a former player in the lime light and allow him to charge $100,000 (for instance) to appear for far longer than he might if he didn't do them.

You're nuts if you think Joe Montana by himself made as much money, if not more for the NFL. Take him out of the equation and someone else has their day in the sun. You could remove Montana, or Aikman, or Marino and someone else would instantly assume their place, be the hero, and make the money.

[HoustonFrog]

Originally Posted by THE NFL DRAFT

To the NFL. Dont think you can have anyone you want come stand on the field, just because you want them to. Montana gets 100,000 for appearances. What do you want him to do? Appear... The NFL has the money, if they want him to appear for them.

And to those who think he owes the NFL anything, think again. Montana made just as much, if not more money for the NFL, than Montana made from the NFL. Its a 2 way street.

You are forgetting something. The NFL was incredible and doing fine before Montana. It isn't like he MADE the league. The league made him and gave him the forum to show his brilliance. Considering that everyone from Bart Starr to Staubach, to Brady thought $1000, first class flight and hotel was enough to walk out and show their appreciation shows what kind of guy he is. What a joke.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by Hervoyel

I didn't know he was this stupid.

No kidding. And Montana I'm thinking had a rather modest background, like
almost all of those guys. He seems to be such a simple, basic, down to earth sort of person when interviewed on TV. And you know, I mean its the SB. I think his action is something else besides stupid. Its also arrogant.

[Kaiser Toro]

Guys put away the gas cans. I have run events before - international basketball tournaments, draft camp for a defunct Basketball League, etc and this was just bad planning, organization and communication. These rarely go off well from a television viewpoint and either puts the participants in a awkward light or it puts the no shows in a negative spotlight.

Before anyone lays blame, and I am not sure why we need to as there were no betting propositions that I was aware of, we need to know when the invites went out, were the terms communicated and what was a palatable attrition rate for the segment to go on. Moreover, if an invite was declined how would it be messaged. This is where the NFL failed, in my opinion.

[disaacks3]

Sources told each paper that Montana asked for a guarantee of at least $100,000 in appearance money.

Wow....just, wow...

I can understand the Joe Montana's of the world not thinking that 1K in spending money wasn't enough to break them out of their "normal" SuperBowl schedule. It should have been worth more than $1,000 per-player to the league for their appearances. I understand the two-way-street aspect, but 1-K-PER is a bit on the Cheapskate side for the $$$-making machine that is the NFL. To put this in perspective for many of us, think about somebody offering you $50 plus flight, hotel to break whatever engagements or parties you might have had planned to show up at an office party for your former employer. That's what it is for most of these guys.

...however...

Turning around and asking for 100K is just being greedy though. I can see these guys and I mean ALL of them) asking for maybe 5-10K each, since most have wives / kids. etc. and might want to show them a good time in Detroit. Asking for an increase of 2 orders of magnitude is just begging someone to stroke your ego though. I'm glad the NFL declined to oblige.

If the report is true, it's sad to see childhood idols like Montana show the 'unfortunate' side of too much success.

[gwallaia]

Many years ago Joe Montana tried to sue the Addidas shoe company for naming a pair of their running shoes "Montana" Addidas also has running shoes with the name "Orgeon" and "Atlanta" After Addidas explained that the shoes were named after the "state" of "Montana", Joe's lawyers suggested he withdraw the lawsuit.

[Porky]

Joe Montana was one of my football hero's in the 80's. I loved watching SF play football. They were my second team to root for after the Oilers of course. I always thought he was a class guy on and off the field. This has totally changed my opinion of him. He is a first class jerk, and I have lost all respect for him. I'll turn off the tv if I ever see him on it. As far as I am concerned, he is dead, or might as well be.

[Double Barrel]

Dan Patrick just said on his show that Montana could not make the Superbowl appearance because he's watching one of his kids play a college basketball game. He told DP last Friday that he missed too much of his kids' life growing up, and he always makes them the priority after he retired.

So I guess take it for what it's worth....

Originally Posted by Vinny

These guys aren't gods...they are men like you and I....the reason you shouldn't worship football players....they are just people....some good, some bad, some greedy, some smart, some dopey, some brilliant....just regular people like you and I. It's just that they had or have some physical skills.

I really don't care what Montana does on his spare time to be honest...He's just another guy to me.

Exactly the way I feel, too. Dude puts his pants legs on one at a time just like the rest of us. While I've enjoyed his entertainment value as a HoF QB, I don't put him on a pedestal.

[Jack Bauer]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

Montana proved again something I've known for a long time, he is not in the
same class with the likes of Elway, Marino, & Aikman.

I know you are not trying to say that Elway and Marino have more class than Montana? Montana is a great guy and Elway and Marino are jerks. The only person of the three to treat me as a human being was Montana. Stop grilling the guy when you have no idea what is going on other than what the media is reporting. In case you guys haven't learned, the media does not always communicate reliable information. Geez, it is ALWAYS: FIRE, READY, AIM on this MB, eh?