Montana called it quits during Super Bowl XXX

His frustration as a TV analyst boiled over during halftime

Legendary 49ers quarterback Joe Montana, known for his calm under pressure while winning four Super Bowls, admitted he was once so frustrated that he quit during halftime at a Super Bowl.

Before anyone jumps to any conclusions, Montana wasn’t playing at the time. His frustration boiled over 25 years ago at Super Bowl XXX during his shortlived career as a television analyst for NBC.

“At halftime, I called my wife from the phone,” Montana told the New York Post’s Andrew Marchand. “We all had phones next to us and said, ‘I quit. I’m out of here. I can’t do this.’ ”

Montana told the Post that while he enjoyed hanging out with fellow announcers Greg Gumbel, Mike Ditka, Joe Gibbs and Ahmad Rashad, he didn’t really enjoy being on television. It was also clear to many that the Hall of Fame quarterback wasn’t nearly as smooth talking about the game as he was playing it.

Montana, who earned $400,000 for his television work, said something happened right before halftime of the Cowboyssteelers Super Bowl in Tempe, Ariz. that convinced him he needed to get out of the business.

The 64-year-old Montana told Marchand he was discussing a point he intended to make during a pre-halftime meeting. He said his views on how the Steelers needed to defend the Cowboys were shot down as “no good.” Then, during the actual halftime show, another analyst made the same point Montana had suggested and “everyone loved it.”

That’s when Montana told himself, “OK, I had enough. I’m done,” he said, while choosing not to disclose which analyst adopted his views.

Montana may be done playing and announcing football, but he’ll still be making an appearance on television screens across the world at Super Bowl LV on Sunday — he’ll be starring in a commercial for Guinness Beer.