Foot in Mouth : Mayor Criticizes Grbac, Then Backpedals

Mayor Willie Brown on Tuesday criticized Elvis Grbac’s costly turnovers against the Dallas Cowboys and called the 49ers second-string quarterback an “embarrassment to humankind.”

He also said Grbac would never play in a new city-built stadium.

Brown, speaking by teleconference from Paris, stunned several San Francisco-area reporters with his response to a joking question about whether the French would help invest in a new 49er stadium.

“Well, I’m trying to get the French to invest in a new quarterback,” the mayor answered. “This guy Grbac is an embarrassment to humankind.”

A San Francisco Examiner reporter then said, “That’s a little harsh isn’t it?”

Brown responded: “After that interception and that bonehead intellectual breakdown in the last game against Dallas, and we lost it 20-17, he can’t play in any stadium that I’m gonna assist to be built.”

Grbac replaced Steve Young in the second half after the starter suffered a mild concussion. Grbac threw two crucial interceptions, including one that set up the Cowboys’ tying score before the game went into overtime.

Dallas drove 66 yards on 11 plays and Chris Boniol kicked a 29-yard field goal to win the game.

Grbac later said he wasn’t prepared to play because he and his wife have been worried about the condition of their 9-month-old son, Jack. The boy, who suffers from spina bifida, recently underwent surgery to alleviate pressure on his spinal column and help him develop properly.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on in my life right now and No. 1 is my family,” Grbac said Monday. “There’s other things more important than football at times.”

When contacted later in the day, Brown said he was unaware of Grbac’s personal problems when he criticized the 49ers quarterback. He said he did not stand by his comments “if in fact he did not have a legitimate reason to play up to par.”

“He probably should not have been on the field,” the mayor said. “I share his view. I have two grandkids and I have three children and nothing would be more important to me than the health of my children.”

Tuesday was an off-day for the 49ers and efforts to reach Grbac at home were unsuccessful.

“It came as a total shock to me,” said team president Carmen Policy, who added that the comments were simply Brown’s failed attempt at parody and humor. Policy said he had no plans to speak with the mayor.

“I judge him by what’s really in his heart and his head instead of what’s flowing off his lip,” Policy said. “Sometimes he gets carried away, especially when he goes on a subject that’s not about government or politics.”

Irate fans called City Hall to complain about comments from the mayor, who is in France through the weekend to sign a sister city pact with Paris.

“We’ve had quite a few,” said a mayor’s office receptionist who asked that her name not be used. She said she did not know how many complaints had been received.