Joe Montana involved in ATV accident, will miss key stadium meeting

Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana was injured in an ATV accident last weekend; the former NFL great took a tumble on an all-terrain vehicle near his Calistoga, Calif., Ranch and required a few stitches above his eye. Montana first told San Francisco's KGO-TV that he was not seriously hurt.

Montana was supposed to meet with and speak before the Santa Clara, Calif., City Council as a step in the process that would involve his participation in commercial real estate around the proposed new stadium for the San Francisco 49ers. He is part of a group that also includes former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr., looking to build hotels and restaurants and sports bars on two parcels owned by the city. The group seeks an 18-month negotiating window to develop the property.

Montana's attorney, Robert Mezzetti, sent a letter to Mayor Jamie Matthews, apologizing in advance for the absence. "Please forgive any inconvenience caused by this unexpected event," Mezzetti said in the letter. "I expect Mr. Montana will be able to appear in the near future."

The meeting has not been rescheduled. "Mr. Montana, through his representatives, was very upset because he really wanted to be able to come, because he's committed to this project," Matthews told the San Jose Mercury News. "It's from his vision and on his reputation that a proposal's being made."

Montana played for the 49ers from 1979 through 1990, cementing his reputation as perhaps the greatest quarterback in NFL history with seven Pro Bowl nods, three First-Team All-Pro selections, two NFL AP MVP awards, and four Super Bowl wins.

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