“I Quit. I’m Out of Here”: Hall of Fame QB Joe Montana Made a Huge Career Decision After Realizing He Was Being a Hypocrite

Why did Joe Montana quit broadcasting?

The day was of Super Bowl action. The Pittsburgh Steelers were taking on the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX. But while the Steelers chased their fifth Super Bowl title, the legendary Joe Montana contemplated a huge career decision.

Talking about his decision in an interview with the New York Post in 2021, he said that he was hesitant to criticize players on air.

“I hear guys say, ‘He did this, and he did that,’. I say, ‘How do you know that he did [what] that offense does or what the defense does or whose mistake it is?’ Making that kind of judgment wasn’t fair to the players because I had it made on me so many times,” Montana said. It was hypocrisy for him.

Read More: NFL Legend Joe Montana Offers His Stance on Tom Brady’s Retirement: “The Way His Season Ended, I Would Think That With the Team He Has, Give It At Least One Shot”

He said he decided to quit it after a pre-halftime meeting. And at halftime, he called his wife to break the news to her.

“At halftime, I called my wife from the phone and said, ‘I quit. I’m out of here. I can’t do this,’” he said.

The career of “Joe Cool”

For those who don’t know who Joe Montana is, here is his best introduction for modern NFL fans. The best quarterback in league history, Tom Brady, grew up idolizing him. Montana played in the NFL for 16 seasons, the majority of them for the San Francisco 49ers. 

Another record that Montana holds is that he never lost a Super Bowl game. He appeared in four Super Bowls and won all of them. He is a three-time Super Bowl MVP and a two-time NFL MVP.

Montana made eight Pro Bowl appearances, seven for the Niners and one for the Kansas City Chiefs. He also has three First-team All-Pro appearances and two Second team All-Pro appearances. The Niners inducted him into the franchise Hall of Fame and retired his number 16 jersey forever. Nobody can be another Joe Montana for the Niners.

Montana left San Francisco in 1993 and joined the Chiefs where he played for two seasons. He then hung up his boots in 1995.

From a third-round pick to one of the greatest ever to play the game, Montana had a hell of a career.

Watch this story: Looking Back At the Best Joe Montana Moments in NFL as the legend Turns 66 Years Old!