Other Sports: NFL-Hall of Famer Montana lets guard down with first-ever documentary

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(Reuters) – National Football League (NFL) Hall of Famer Joe Montana has prevented the documentary highlight for many years however is letting his guard down this week, as a brand new collection on the quarterback’s life and profession debuts.

From Michael Jordan’s 2020 juggernaut “The Last Dance” to the athlete memoirs that fill bookstore cabinets, there is no such thing as a scarcity of sports activities “inform all” tales accessible – or voracious followers able to eat them up.

But the person who epitomized “Joe Cool” over 16 seasons within the NFL and refused each prior try and doc his life in movie, has relented with “Joe Montana: Cool Under Pressure,” a six-part documentary that premieres on Thursday on the Peacock streaming service.

“It’s at all times been one of these issues, ‘Do I actually wish to do that?'” the three-time Super Bowl MVP advised Reuters. “I used to be at all times fairly non-public about lots of the issues… it took lots of convincing.”

The challenge’s premiere coincides with the fortieth anniversary of “The Catch,” the blockbuster go to Dwight Clark to win the NFC Championship and set in movement the Niners dynasty that might end in 4 Super Bowl titles for Montana.

But revisiting the footage wasn’t simple: Clark died in 2018 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, generally often known as ALS or “Lou Gehrig’s illness,” which the late receiver suspected was brought on from head trauma associated to enjoying soccer.

“It’s simply exhausting if you if you see some of the movie, lots of the fellows in there which are concerned within the groups are gone and method too early, method too younger,” mentioned Montana, a two-time league MVP.

“You really feel lucky that, , I made it by thus far and not using a lot of these issues that guys are affected by additionally.”

Football exacted a brutal toll on his physique, of course, needing greater than 20 surgical procedures however leaving his thoughts intact after a demanding profession in a sport the place he sees little likelihood of eliminating solely the chance of head damage.

“It’s actually exhausting when what causes (damage) was when the mind strikes and hits inside your cranium. So how do you cease that?” mentioned Montana.

He credit the league with making strides to cut back head accidents, after it expanded its guidelines on helmet-to-helmet contact in 2018, however sees eliminating head accidents solely as an infinite hurdle.

“No matter how good the helmet is, you are still transferring ahead and one thing stopping you. So inside your mind, it is nonetheless transferring,” he added. “Until they’ll determine that out, I feel we’ll at all times have an issue.”

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; further reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Christian Radnedge)



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