Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana was known for his poise on the field. He should be now known for having keen judgment off the field.
According to Philip Matier and Andrew Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle, the FBI used an undercover agent posing as a real estate investor to lure Montana into a sting. Montana didn’t take the bait.
The claim comes from attorney James Brosnahan, the lawyer defending former San Francisco school board president Keith Jackson. Jackson and others allegedly fell victim to the efforts to trap them into wrongdoing.
“In a sting, they have real reason to believe someone is committing a crime,” Brosnahan said. “But here they fanned out all over California to see who would talk to them about anything.”
Brosnahan’s disclosure comes as part of an obvious P.R. attack upon the government’s case against 29 total defendants, including football agent Marlon D. Sullivan.
“Who decided to take Joe to lunch and cast a cloud on Northern California’s greatest sports hero?” Brosnahan said. “Nobody was exercising any judgment about the scope of this thing.”
Brosnahan risks a finding that he violated a court order restricting comment about the investigation. Brosnahan contends that none of his remarks flow from evidence covered by the protective order.
Still, it’s never wise to risk being found in contempt of court.