Niners work out Hostetler

The 49ers are looking into the possibility of signing veteran quarterback Jeff Hostetler, who worked out with the team Tuesday and was waived after the 1998 season by the Washington Redskins. "He looked good. He's really a fine athlete and charismatic person," general manager Bill Walsh said. "We're not ruling out the possibility of him playing for the 49ers in the future. We're looking at all our options for this year and next year." ESPN the Magazine's John Clayton reported that the Niners liked Hostetler's performance enough to consider signing him in the event injured Steve Young can't return. However, Hostetler has a commitment to bring his 8-year-old son to Hawaii on vacation at the end of the month, and Hostetler will not return until Dec. 1. The 49ers and Hostetler will sit down and talk after that about a possible contract. Hostetler has been in West Virginia the first half of this season to care for his son, who suffered a spine injury in an all-terrain-vehicle accident Young, 38, hasn't played since Sept. 27, when he went down with his fourth concussion in three years. The 49ers are 1-4 since then under backup Jeff Garcia. Garcia who was benched after San Francisco's 27-6 loss to Pittsburgh on Nov. 7. Steve Stenstrom made his first start of the season on Sunday but failed to direct a touchdown drive as the Niners fell to the New Orleans Saints 24-6. "I think everybody is beginning to come to the conclusion that (Young) will not be playing again," Walsh said. "It's not a final decision but we have to account for the possibility, the likelihood he won't play again." Hostetler, who helped lead the New York Giants to a Super Bowl win in 1990, spent four years as a starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, leaving in 1996 to become a backup in Washington. He was on the Redskins' roster in 1998 but didn't play following knee surgery. He was subsequently released in February and retired after his son's accident. Tyler, who was left partially paralyzed by the accident, has been making good progress in his recovery and walked to classes under his own power when school opened two months ago.

Mariucci said the team was having talks with the NFL's management council to help decide the best time to release Phillips, given salary cap ramifications. If Phillips is released and signed by another team, the $212,500 half of his bonus to be counted against next year's cap figure would be counted this year, taking up nearly all available room the team has under the cap at present.

Phillips was suspended because of his refusal to take part in practice and his general loss of interest once he lost playing time to Charlie Garner. Mariucci said there were no incidents of social misconduct off the field.

"I believe he became very frustrated and disenchanted with his role here," Mariucci said. "He began to find reasons and ways why he shouldn't practice."

Mariucci said Phillips took part in special-teams practice last week but declined to work with the offense.

"It got to a point where we were unable to work together," Mariucci said.

"The turn of events since practice on Friday, November, 12, 1999 has surprised me. I have tried to play and succeed at whatever role asked of me by the organization, hoping that my hard work each week would increase my role," Phillips said in the statement. "I share the level of frustration experienced by my teammates, our coaching staff, management and fans, as we have not played the level of football we are capable of playing.

"Through all this frustration, until Friday, I have never refused to practice or questioned its need, despite nagging injuries, fully understanding that missing repetitions can decrease my role as it did during training camp. I never intended to mock coach Mariucci or disrespect the coaching staff, nor was I ever thrown or kicked off the field. I have admittingly been unhappy, as any competitive player should be. I appreciate the opportunity to play for the San Francisco 49ers."

"The key was that he refused to practice," Niners general manager Bill Walsh said. "His remark was, 'Why practice? You don't put me in anyway.' So I think Lawrence was deeply distressed over not playing as much as he expected to. There was a lot that led up to him finally saying that."

Walsh, who was not at practice last Friday, said there had been a pattern of insubordinate behavior, although Phillips was not disruptive.

"Really, he hasn't been difficult," Walsh said. "He hasn't been militant. He hasn't been that difficult to deal with, just in recent days and recent weeks. The lack of playing time I think has really affected him. He hasn't been able to handle a substitute kind of role and it's unfortunate."

Reportedly, over the last several weeks, Phillips had ignored running back coach Tom Rathman's instructions and sometimes refused to run practice plays when directed to do so.

"Tom Rathman has had to work extra hard -- as all of us have -- over a period of time with Lawrence to assimilate him into the group," Walsh said. "I think Tom has shown a lot of patience and so has Lawrence. He tried."

During one stage of the team's final practice Friday, the pass protection broke down and the quarterback was sacked. A source told The Associated Press that Mariucci took the team to task, and Phillips burst out laughing.

"I've been told that he laughed. I can't tell you what kind of laugh," Walsh said.

Phillips failed to pick up a blitz in September, leading to a devastating hit on quarterback Steve Young that left the two-time league MVP with his fourth concussion in three years. Young hasn't played since.

Mariucci called a coaches-only meeting after practice Friday, and the decision was made to suspend Phillips. At one point during the meeting, Rathman said that if Phillips came back, he would leave, according to the source.

Phillips had washed out with the St. Louis Rams and the Miami Dolphins after repeated disciplinary problems and run-ins with the law.

He was an NFL outcast after being released by the Dolphins last year after he was charged with hitting a woman at a Plantation, Fla., nightclub. He pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge for twice striking and threatening Michelle Black, and was sentenced earlier this year to six months probation.

Still, Walsh said he would not be surprised to see Phillips with another team if the 49ers release him.

	“	Lawrence has indicated to a number of other of players and to other people that he did not want to play for the 49ers and was expecting to play for Buffalo in the very near future. ”
		— 49ers GM Bill Walsh

"Lawrence has indicated to a number of other of players and to other people that he did not want to play for the 49ers and was expecting to play for Buffalo in the very near future," Walsh said. "So I think that, in a sense, that Lawrence knew that there would be an incident such as this at some point."

While in college at Nebraska, Phillips was arrested and charged with domestic violence for beating his ex-girlfriend and sentenced to probation.

The St. Louis Rams chose Phillips as the sixth overall pick of the 1996 draft, but he was arrested three times and spent 23 days in jail during 19 months with the team.

Phillips revived interest by NFL teams this past spring, when he rushed for more than 1,000 yards in NFL Europe.

The 49ers, who lost star running back Garrison Hearst indefinitely because of a severe ankle injury, outbid several other NFL teams for Phillips and hoped he would fill the void left by the loss of Hearst.

Before signing him, the 49ers said they interviewed Phillips repeatedly and had him talk with a counselor. While acknowledging the risk of further problems, they said he appeared to have put his troubles behind him.

In the absence of Hearst, Phillips had hoped to become the 49ers' featured back. But he was slowed by a hamstring injury in training camp and another free agent, Garner, won the job.

"He's accused us of lying about what he'd do," Walsh said of Phillips. "I think it's pretty evident that Charlie Garner has played especially well."

Phillips has been seeing only spot duty in recent games. He has rushed 30 times for 144 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown run, the 49ers' longest rush from scrimmage this season.

"I'm not surprised, but I didn't see it coming," Walsh said. "But I'm not surprised because Lawrence has been more and more unhappy with his role on the team. That's basically it."