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| | Monday, June 12 Niners still give Young $1M bonus | |||||
| ESPN.com news services SAN FRANCISCO -- As a retirement gift to Steve Young, the San Francisco 49ers will keep the quarterback on their roster through Saturday and pay him the $1 million bonus that he will earn by being on the roster as of that day. Young informed the team on Thursday that he would announce his retirement on Monday and they could take him off the roster before the Saturday deadline. But the 49ers have decided to keep him on through Saturday and reward him with the money. "That is a reflection of our appreciation for Steve and what he's contributed to the 49ers," said general manager Bill Walsh. Young, 38, sent his formal retirement notice to the San Francisco 49ers via fax on Friday, and team officials prepared for Monday's farewell news conference. Young initially told Walsh of his intention to retire via a phone call and followed that with his retirement letter. Young has not spoken publicly since word came down Thursday that he was ending his 17-year pro career, including 15 NFL seasons, the last 13 with the 49ers. The highest-rated passer in league history, Young led San Francisco to its fifth Super Bowl title following the 1994 season. He hasn't played since going down last September at Arizona with his eighth known concussion, and fourth in three years. His formal retirement announcement at noon ET on Monday will be held in an unusual setting: the 49ers' locker room at club headquarters. The guest list is lengthy and includes former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo, who turned over control of the team to his sister earlier this year as part of resolving a family feud, and former club president Carmen Policy, who left San Francisco to join the new Cleveland Browns after a falling out with DeBartolo. Young's wife, parents and other relatives also are coming, along with Brigham Young coach LaVell Edwards, who was Young's coach in college. Denver coach Mike Shanahan and Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, both former offensive coordinators in San Francisco and both influential in Young's development, were also on the guest list. Among the teammates expected to be on hand are Jerry Rice, with whom Young formed the most prolific touchdown-pass tandem in NFL history, Harris Barton and Brent Jones. There was no word if four-time Super Bowl winner Joe Montana, who was both a teammate and rival of Young, would attend. Walsh, 49ers coach when he pulled off the 1987 trade to bring Young to the 49ers from Tampa Bay, will miss the the quarterback's departure. Walsh has already left town on a previously scheduled family vacation in Hawaii. While Young spent much of Friday talking with friends and relatives and getting invitations out to the news conference, 49ers officials were preparing the locker room for Monday's gathering. The logistics of squeezing everyone in is posing a bit of a challenge. "But we're going to make it work," team spokesman Kirk Reynolds said. Meanwhile, the tributes to Young have already started. "I really believe he's one of the top five players ever to play the game at his position," Shanahan said Friday. "I think the world of him. What a career he's had. "He could do it all. He had a great sense of timing. He could make all the throws. He was a great competitor. He was a leader, both on and off the football field. And he could make plays when nothing was there. He was a legitimate sub-4.5 quarterback, and they don't exist very often. He had that burning desire which only the great ones have to be as competitive as anybody." Offensive guard Ray Brown said Young will be missed. "He was obviously very talented athletically," Brown said. "But he was on the same page as the coaches because he knew the system as well as they did. That's going to be sorely missed. "That guy has been through the battles and the wars. He stood out among stars in this locker room. To be a star guy and be very approachable, that's unique. He was very much one of the guys." | ALSO SEE Today's retirement the toughest call of Young's career Users: Remembering Young's career Ratto: Only the Young Young's legacy: Running made him ultimate threat Mort: Nothing finer than retiring as a Niner Steve Young career highlights Steve Young's career statistics  | |||||