49ers fire Gary Plummer after radio show sex tales Matier & Ross

9 Aug 1997: Linebacker Gary Plummer of the San Francisco 49ers in action against the Seattle Seahawks during a pre-season game at 3Com Park in San Franciscon, California. The 49ers defeated the Seahawks 21-17. Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule /Allsport less 9 Aug 1997: Linebacker Gary Plummer of the San Francisco 49ers in action against the Seattle Seahawks during a pre-season game at 3Com Park in San Franciscon, California. The 49ers defeated the Seahawks ... more Photo: Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images Photo: Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close 49ers fire Gary Plummer after radio show sex tales 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Former 49er Gary Plummer got the heave-ho as the team's radio color commentator just as a very off-color podcast began circulating in which he recounts his former teammates' sex-capades, as well as his own.

Niners spokesman Bob Lange declined to give a reason Tuesday why the 51-year-old Plummer was let go after 12 years, saying only, "It is our decision, and obviously we would consult with our broadcast partner," radio station KNBR.

Plummer tells us that his scorching-hot remarks were only part of the reason he was fired, and that his criticism of how badly the Niners played at times had a lot to do with why the team let him go with a year left on his contract.

The podcast was taken from a late-night interview back on Super Bowl Sunday in February on a show called "Lady Brain" that aired locally on KSJO-FM in San Jose. The show says it covers "popular lifestyle topics like relationships, sex (and) body issues," and Plummer didn't hold back.

The former linebacker talked about his own open marriage, how best to give oral sex, and how the 49ers' staff used to line up women for the players.

According to Plummer, who played with the Niners for the last four seasons of an NFL career that lasted from 1986 to 1997, staffers would even go into the stands during the games and get female fans' phone numbers.

Plummer also recounted one instance in which a player had sex with a groupie at the back of the team bus while the player's family was up front.

Just days after the interview aired, sources tell us, Plummer phoned the show's two female hosts and asked them to take down their podcast - which they reluctantly did. If you try hard enough, however, you can still find it.

Lange said he had only recently heard that the interview made its way onto the Internet.

"I don't know ... if anyone in the organization knew of this (interview) before or after he was replaced," Lange said. "We are not getting into the specifics of why the move was made."

Plummer was replaced with Eric Davis, another former 49er who has worked for Comcast and in other broadcasting jobs since retiring.

Plummer, who lives in San Diego, told us he had done the interview "as a favor for a friend" and hadn't known exactly what would air.

"We were BS'ing," Plummer said. "It was Lady Brain, and that's what they talk about - sex.

"But it's not the sole reason for the firing," Plummer said.

"They talked to me four or five times during the year about being too hard on the team, and they needed to fill the stadium," he said. "I don't think that's my job as an analyst. My job is to state the facts, and the team was 0-5, and three players had quit and they had fired their offensive coordinator. And fans had a right to know why."

Rough ride: Muni and its 2,000 drivers are set to square off over the very same work perks that the city has been trying to do away with for years.

Among them: The 50-cents-an-hour premium for working in the same division for five years; a $450-a-year boost for transit inspectors whose families miss out on the free rides on Muni that other workers' relatives get; and rules that prevent Muni from firing drivers for not having a valid driver's license.

In all, Muni estimates it could save $26.5 million by scrapping such contract provisions.

The real push, however, will be Muni's move to hire part-time drivers. That would be a first.

The agency also wants a 10 percent cut in drivers' salaries, which until recently were, by law, the second-highest in the nation.

Transit union head Rafael Cabrera said that he's been out of town, and that our call for comment was the first he'd heard of the proposals.

"Wow, I'm surprised Muni has decided to negotiate this way," Cabrera said.

The last time work rules came into play, the union ran screaming to then-Mayor Gavin Newsom, who was prepping for a run for governor. Muni backed off.

Dogs bomb: Six bomb-sniffing police dogs at San Francisco International Airport failed a recent federal recertification test and have been temporarily pulled from duty.

Federal Transit Security Administration spokesman Nico Melendez declined to go into detail, but said the dogs - which make up two-thirds of the SFO canine unit - could have failed the testing for any number of reasons. Those include not being able to sniff out explosives or disobeying handlers' commands.

Deputy Police Chief David Shinn, head of airport police operations, said there was no excuse for the dogs failing. But he said he has hired a special dog trainer to work with the canines and their handlers for the next 60 to 90 days before they are retested and hopefully sent back to work.

In the meantime, Melendez said the feds, if necessary, can tap police dogs from Muni, BART, and the Oakland and San Jose airports.

EXTRA! Catch our blog at www.sfgate.com/matierandross.