| | Associated Press
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- After months of scrambling, dodging and indecision, Steve Young is walking away.
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Thursday, June 8
What I will remember about Steve Young is that he was capable of
enduring all the hardships early in his career, first in Tampa Bay and
then having to spend time behind Joe Montana in San Francisco.
He was able to endure that and then overcome some of the stigmas he had
as a pure athlete playing the position. With the help of Bill Walsh and
the 49er organization, Young molded himself into the most accurate
passer in NFL history.
There's no doubt he will end up in the Hall of Fame. And even though
he had to play under the standards that Montana set, that's a legacy he
will have to live with. But that does nothing to diminish his
accomplishments as a great quarterback who won a Super Bowl after
Montana left. Young holds his own place in football history.
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The two-time league MVP, who led the San Francisco 49ers to a
Super Bowl title in 1995, will announce his retirement Monday. He
hasn't played since going down last September at Arizona with his
fourth concussion in three years.
Two team sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the
38-year-old Young spent months agonizing over what to do and
finally decided to end his playing career.
"He's made up his mind," one source said Thursday.
"The day has been set," the other club source said. "The only issue is the setting."
General manager Bill Walsh is aware of Young's decision and
confirmed he would make an announcement Monday. Walsh would say
only that all signs point to Young retiring.
"I think we all have a sense of what's occurring," Walsh said
before leaving team headquarters Thursday evening for a weekend
getaway. "But it's for Steve Young now to do the personal statements and relate his feelings to you."
Walsh added that the 49ers will go ahead and pay Young a $1
million roster bonus that was coming due on Saturday.
"That is a reflection of our appreciation for Steve and what
he's contributed to the 49ers," Walsh said. "We would love to
have Steve Young with us for the next 20 years, but I think he's got
bigger and better things to do. He might have my job, I don't know.
But I think we're agreed, if he were to retire, he can look forward
to a very successful life, whatever his endeavor, from politics, to
broadcasting to sports to business."
Young was not available for comment Thursday.
The sources said he wanted to wait until Monday to make his retirement announcement to give his family, college coach and other key figures in his life a chance to be on hand.
His retirement is now expected to generate up to $2 million in
payroll relief for the 49ers, who have struggled throughout the
offseason with salary cap problems.
While no formal announcement was made Thursday, players leaving
the team's minicamp took word of Young's decision to retire in
stride, including former Canadian Football League star Jeff Garcia,
who will move into the job held by Young and Joe Montana for the
last 19 years.
"I've been preparing myself for that situation all offseason,
so I'm ready for it," said Garcia, adding he won't be fazed by
following in the footsteps of Young's Hall of Fame-caliber career.
"I've been in a situation (in Calgary) where I've been behind a
legend before, maybe in a different league but Doug Flutie was one
of the best to ever play in the CFL and I was kind of looming
behind him for a couple of seasons before I got my break up
there," Garcia said. "Maybe it wasn't on the scale that the NFL
is but I've been introduced to it somewhat and I think I can handle
those sorts of things."
|  | | Steve Young had plenty to celebrate in his NFL career. |
Coach Steve Mariucci said the thought of replacing Young was
daunting.
"When you lose a great player, you have to replace his
production on the field, which is nearly impossible -- he's the most
efficient quarterback of all-time and nobody is really even
close," Mariucci said. "He's difficult to replace from a
leadership standpoint, from an image standpoint, from the
standpoint of a certain team swagger and confidence level."
Young has been struggling to choose among three options: play
for the 49ers, join another NFL team or retire. He hasn't played
since a head blow Sept. 27 at Arizona left him with his latest
concussion -- his fourth in three years.
Young's agent, Leigh Steinberg, did not return phone calls seeking comment Thursday.
Young, whose wife, Barbara, is expecting the couple's first
child in December, has been mentioned as a candidate for the
vacancy in the "Monday Night Football" booth. ABC is expected to
announce a choice later this month.
It appeared Monday that Young's options had been reduced to retirement or playing elsewhere after Walsh all but ruled out his return to the 49ers.
But Walsh backed off the remarks the next day. He said the return of the two-time league MVP was possible if he gained medical clearance from a series of doctors.
Young met with Broncos coach Mike Shanahan in Denver on Monday, but he said there were no negotiations or contract talks. He said he was visiting Shanahan, who is a close friend, simply to get advice.
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 ESPN's John Clayton analyzes Steve Young's decision.
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Mike Littwin of the Rocky Mountain News talks about Steve Young's decision.
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Is Mike Shanahan really concerned with a friend's health, or winning?
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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