Chris Morteson ESPN.com
Favre delays arrival to Packers camp at GM's request
By Chris Mortensen
ESPN.com
Updated: July 27, 2008, 7:46 PM ET
Brett Favre has signed his letter seeking reinstatement to the Green Bay Packers but may not send it to the NFL until Monday or Tuesday.
Favre admitted in a telephone interview that he did not report to the Packers' camp Sunday with the rest of the team in part because general manager Ted Thompson pleaded with him to delay his arrival.
Such is the drama that continues to build around Favre.
He offered to compete for his old job but was told that wasn't possible.
He admits he has spoken to Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress but says it wasn't tampering.
Childress explained their talk further during Vikings training camp on Sunday.
"I've always felt like he could play. I told him so right after the game last year when they beat us 35-0. I wish he would have retired. I told him that to his face," Childress said. "He's still got some zip on it. In my mind it's no different than me talking to Donovan McNabb as he's [reporting] to training camp or talking to Brian Westbrook. I communicate with people in this league. You don't leave past relationships."
Favre is open to a trade but not just to the New York Jets or Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He's hoping commissioner Roger Goodell can mediate the impasse that he has reached with the Packers.
"I asked Ted [saturday], 'Am I welcome in the building if I report?' and Ted was just about shattered," said Favre in a telephone interview. "He said, 'Brett, you can't do that -- you'll get me fired.' I told him I'm not trying to get anybody fired. So Ted asked me to let the guys report and let's try to resolve this over the next two or three days."
Consequently, Favre did not fax a letter he has signed to request his reinstatement as an active player to the league office on Saturday. That did not sit well with Favre's wife Deanna or his agent, James "Bus" Cook.
"Deanna, Bus, everyone here [in Mississippi] says, 'You're so stupid, letting [the Packers] play you like this," said Favre. "They want me to get in there now. I may wait until Tuesday or so."
Nightmare Averted?
The Packers avoided their nightmare scenario when Brett Favre agreed not to report to camp Sunday, Kevin Seifert writes. Blog
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Favre said that Thompson wasn't receptive to the veteran quarterback winning his job back from Aaron Rodgers. He relayed his most recent conversation Saturday with the GM.
"I said, 'Let me compete, you'll know I'll win this job' and Ted said again, 'Brett, things have changed. Aaron Rodgers is our quarterback.' It's pretty clear -- and this is what I told the commissioner -- that they want me to go away, stay retired. They would much rather see me in a Packers' uniform, paying me $12 million to be a backup -- which you know they really don't want -- rather than see in another uniform, no matter what they say. They'll drag this out, asking a king's ransom [in a trade], hoping it all goes away."
Goodell has spoken to Favre twice, most recently on Saturday.
"Roger is willing to help but he has to be careful," said Favre. "I told him I could easily send in this letter [of reinstatement] but they really don't want me there and it'll be a big circus. They play this both ways. Privately, they don't want me there. Publicly, if I sent in the letter but didn't show up right away, they could always fine me or say, `See, why isn't he here? He really doesn't want to play.' Give me my release and see if I want to play or not."
It appears Tuesday is Favre's soft deadline to report to camp or possibly be traded.
According to Favre, Thompson asked him if he was interested in a trade. "Yeah, but not just to the teams you want me to go to," Favre said, relaying his conversation with the Packers' GM.
The Packers have given permission to the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to talk to Favre. The Jets have had conversations with Cook but have not talked directly to Favre.
Favre would not admit that the Vikings are his preferred team of choice but he confirmed he has spoken with Childress and admitted as much to both Goodell and NFL director of security Milt Alherich. The Packers filed a tampering complaint against the Vikings.
"I have never denied talking to Childress," said Favre. "I've known [Childress] for about 12 years going back to when he and Jay Norvell were assistants at Wisconsin and they used to come in and sit in our quarterback meetings. And then Brad went to Philadelphia to be with Andy Reid and, you know, Andy and I are big buddies so the relations continued.
'Like I told Milt and like I told the commissioner, I've spoken to Childress. I've spoken to Darrell Bevell [Vikings offensive coordinator], I've spoken to Andy Reid, I've spoken to Mike Sherman, Matt Millen, Steve Mariucci ... I've spoken to a lot of guys who are my friends and guys who have coached me, either talked to them or left messages."
Favre claims that his communications with many of those coaches, including Childress, was a matter of seeing if it was within reason to change his mind about retirement.
"I called them and asked them, 'Am I crazy? Am I wrong for pushing this? Can I still play the game? Should I let it die? I mean, I think you know what the answer is. I can still play. I said it when I retired [in March]. Now I've had a change of heart about playing but I've always known I can still play."
Favre said Alherich asked him point-blank if Childress or anybody with the Vikings enticed him to play again.
"I told Milt, 'No, I wasn't [enticed],'" said Favre. "I told Milt and Roger Goodell that if talking to teams is tampering, then there's about seven-to-10 teams that are guilty of tampering. But Brad isn't going to try to entice me because he knows that even if he wanted me to play there, it's not going to happen. The Packers aren't going to let that happen.
"So Brad and I, yeah, we talk and we exchange text messages. The Packers know that. After we beat them last year, Brad sent me a text message, teasing me how a gray-haired quarterback could still play. And the Packers were aware of that because I shared a laugh with 'em about that."
Favre adamantly denied reports that the Packers had evidence of his communications with Childress because they had the phone records from Favre's team-issued cell phone.
"That's just bogus," said Favre. "I don't have a Packers' cell phone. Never have. I told Ted [on Thursday] that he and [coach Mike] McCarthy needed to clear up this cell phone thing. I told him they needed to get in front of the media and admit that I don't have one of their cell phones. And Ted said, 'Well, I think somebody already squashed that [story].' But that isn't enough. They need to get up and admit it's ridiculous and bogus."
Thompson did not immediately return a phone message to respond to Favre's version of the story.
Chris Mortensen covers the NFL for ESPN
And yet Brett wonders why Thompson and McCarthy won't let him back to compete. Every opportunity Favre has had he has thrown them under the bus. How would that look to the rest of the team if TT and MM would let Favre back after the things he has said not only in this interview but in the interview with Greta Van Favrefan. It's not Brett's job to run the team. The more Brett speaks, the more he sounds like a crybaby.
Extremely weak.
Extremely weak.
Extremely weak.
