Favre asks Packers for release

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25642813/

Packers GM, coach say team won’t release Favre despite request

ESPN.com news services

Updated: July 13, 2008, 10:54 AM ET

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers aren’t about to let Brett Favre become a free agent. And while he’s free to return to Green Bay for another season, there’s no guarantee he’ll be the Packers’ starting quarterback if he does.

In an interview with The Associated Press Saturday, Packers general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy said they don’t plan to grant Favre the release he is seeking from his contract and are committed to Aaron Rodgers as their starter.

“We’ve communicated that to Brett, that we have since moved forward,” Thompson told the AP on Saturday. “At the same time, we’ve never said that there couldn’t be some role that he might play here. But I would understand his point that he would want to play.”

When asked whether that role might be as a backup or coach, Thompson said: “not a coach.”

Added McCarthy: “He did ask about that, though.”

Speaking later to ESPN.com’s John Clayton, Thompson said he is prepared to accept Favre’s return and not necessarily as a backup.

“It’s not accurate,” Thompson said of the AP report that Favre would come back as a backup. “We don’t know what role that would be. He can come back as an active member of the Green Bay Packers.”

Thompson reaffirmed to ESPN that the Packers won’t release Favre. He would not discuss trading the future Hall of Fame quarterback. Thompson said he had not received any inquiries from other teams as of Saturday morning.

“I don’t want to deal in hypotheticals,” Thompson said. “Brett is still retired. I know that there has been a lot of publicity about him being released, but if he applies for reinstatement, he will go back on the Green Bay Packers active roster and we will deal with it then.”

Rodgers, who is playing in the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship in Lake Tahoe, Calif., is trying to block out the Favre talk.

“It’s always difficult when your name is in the media all the time and there’s a lot of speculation about different things,” Rodgers said.

“I’m just trying to enjoy the weekend…I’m just focused on that, on working out and going back to Green Bay next week for training camp.”

On Friday, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported Favre had requested an amicable and unconditional release from the Packers via letter, attributing sources close to the player and team.

Quite frankly, it’s a little gut-wrenching as an organization to go through it.

— Packers GM Ted Thompson, on Favre’s offseason seesaw
Neither Thompson nor McCarthy had expressed optimism Tuesday concerning a possible return during a conference call with Favre and his agent, James Cook, according to the sources.

Favre, who led the Packers to a Super Bowl title after the 1996 season, held a tearful news conference to announce his retirement March 6. The Packers planned to begin the season with Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback.

Thompson confirmed he and McCarthy were prepared to meet with Favre, who said he was interested in rescinding his retirement, in late March. Favre cancelled the meeting, telling Thompson and McCarthy that he had changed his mind and wanted to stay retired. Thompson said he and McCarthy were ready to accept Favre’s return to the NFL at that time.

“Yes, we were going to leave the owners’ meeting [in West Palm Bech, Fla.] a day early and fly to Hattiesburg with the idea of sitting down and talking to him about coming back to the team,” Thompson said.

When Favre cancelled the meeting the Packers mentally moved on with Rodgers as quarterback. Then, the team drafted two quarterbacks — Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn. Thompson said he still might have drafted a quarterback had Favre returned but he wouldn’t have used two draft choices on quarterbacks.

But the tone changed dramatically in June, when Packers offensive line coach James Campen said he was getting worried about Favre. McCarthy said he had a phone conversation with Favre on June 20, and the coach said the quarterback sent a clear message: “Give me my helmet or give me my release.”

Next came a now-infamous text message exchange between Thompson and Favre on July 4. At the time, Thompson didn’t think it was a big deal that he wrote Favre back saying he was traveling and asked if they could talk Monday.

But then Thompson began getting texts from Cook. Sensing rising tension, Thompson and McCarthy agreed to a conference call with Favre and Cook on Tuesday.

Only then, McCarthy said, did Favre say he was 100 percent committed to playing. McCarthy said he doesn’t question Favre’s commitment to football, but said Favre often brought up the issue himself.

“The way he plays the game illustrates the guy is committed,” McCarthy said. “(But) those are his words. That was always his final hurdle that he said he had to get over.”

The hurdle was apparently cleared weeks before the start of training camp.

“Was it convincing? I’d say yes,” McCarthy said. “But that was the first time, July 8, that I’d ever heard him say [he was committed]. And he continually, from [June] 21 to July 8, told James Campen that he was not going to play. So that’s a pretty important piece of the puzzle.”

Thompson admits this is a distraction.

“We don’t know where everything is going to go,” Thompson said. “It’s been a distraction. It’s been a distraction for our fans. I’m trying to stay steady and do the right things for the Packers and do the right thing for Brett Favre. I care about the legacy of Brett Favre. I care about the legacy of the Green Bay Packers.”

From the Packers standpoint, it’s a formality that Favre can apply for reinstatement and be granted the chance to return by commissioner Roger Goodell. That could happen as late as July 27 when the Packers are scheduled to report to training camp. The team’s first practice is July 28.

Favre, who was placed on the reserve-retired list in late April, has three years and $39 million left on his contract with the Packers.

To be reinstated, Favre must apply through commissioner Roger Goodell. That would force the Packers to activate the 16-year veteran.

McCarthy said he and Thompson were in constant communication with Favre throughout the offseason.

“Quite frankly, it’s a little gut-wrenching as an organization to go through it, and certainly for Mike and myself,” Thompson said. “This stuff hurts a lot of people. I mean, it hurts. I’m not talking about physically hurting, but the sensitivity. We understand where the fans are coming from. This is a hot-button issue that surpasses anything I’ve ever gone through.”

ESPN reporters John Clayton and Chris Mortensen and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Farve filed his reinstatement papers.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3509944

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-FBN-Packers-Favre.html?hp

Filed at 5:51 p.m. ET

AP Photo NY117 By CHRIS JENKINS AP Sports Writer

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Though the Green Bay Packers say Brett Favre has put them in a difficult situation, they’re prepared to welcome him back. The NFL announced Sunday that Favre will be reinstated and added to the Packers’ active roster on Monday.

Commissioner Roger Goodell had held off on granting Favre’s request for reinstatement for nearly a week, hoping Favre and the team could resolve their standoff.

‘’Although we built this year around the assumption that Brett meant what he said about retiring, Brett is coming back,’’ said team president and CEO Mark Murphy. ‘’We will welcome him back and turn this situation to our advantage.’’

The reinstatement will become effective at 1 p.m. EDT Monday, when Favre will be added to the Packers’ active roster. By reinstating Favre, Goodell is following through on a recent promise to force action.

Earlier this week, the team offered Favre a long-term, multimillion-dollar marketing agreement that likely would have kept him retired. But Favre’s decision to report to camp makes such an agreement less likely.

A trade remains a possibility.

‘’Frankly, Brett’s change of mind put us in a very difficult spot,‘’ Murphy said in a statement released by the team. ’’We now will revise many actions and assumptions about our long-term future, all predicated on Brett’s decision last March to retire.

‘’As a result of his decision, we invested considerably in a new and different future without Brett and we were obviously moving in that direction. That’s why this wasn’t easy. Having crossed the Rubicon once when Brett decided to retire, it’s very difficult to reorient our plans and cross it again in the opposite direction — but we’ll put this to our advantage.’’

Could reorienting their plans include a competition between Favre and Aaron Rodgers for the starting job? Team officials have maintained that if Favre returned to the Packers, it would be in some role other than as the starter — and have said Rodgers is their starter.

In his statement, Murphy said only that coach Mike McCarthy would ‘’talk to the team and the quarterbacks about the plan moving forward, and after he has done that we will share it publicly.’’

Earlier Sunday, Favre’s agent, James ’’Bus’’ Cook, confirmed that Favre planned to fly to Green Bay on Sunday and report to the Packers on Monday.

’’That’s the plan,’’ Cook said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

Favre could be on the field as early as Tuesday.

Favre retired in March but has been having second thoughts. Team officials have insisted they are moving on with Rodgers, though, causing tensions to rise between Favre and the team.

Team officials publicly have ruled out releasing Favre, fearing he would immediately sign with division rival Minnesota.

The team has a scrimmage at Lambeau Field on Sunday night, then does not have another scheduled public practice until Tuesday morning. Favre’s arrival in training camp could cause a major disruption to the team, although he would not likely begin practicing with the Packers right away.

McCarthy has said the Packers had a plan in place should Favre report to camp. He first would have to pass a physical exam and a conditioning test, then would likely be limited to individual drills.

Goodell told the NFL Network on Saturday that he thinks the situation has lingered long enough.

‘’I think we have to force it,’’ Goodell said. ‘’I think it’s come to the point where there need to be some decisions made on behalf of the Packers, on behalf of Brett, on behalf of all the fans.’’

———

AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.

MARKET UPDATE: I am following the situation closely, but believe that it would be premature to close the market based on the current information.

In addition, I extended the market close date to the end of the season, in order to accommodate any pre-season or mid-season trades. (The market was previously set to close on September 4th, prior to the first regular season game. Because it is possible that a trade or other event could occur between September 4th and 8th (the date of the first Green Bay game), I wanted to avoid any unnecessary confusion.)

Thanks.

Based on my previous experience with these markets, I request that you change the market closing time back to its original time. I participated in a market earlier this year where the market maker did the same thing – tried to change the date to reflect new information. In the end, all points ended up being refunded.

You created a market with a specific end date. Market participants are taking this time frame into account when making their trades. To change this, and expand or decrease the scope of the market, changes the situation dramatically. Rather than extending this market, I recommend that you create another market. In trying to avoid confusion, I am afraid that you are only making it more confusing. The ending date for this market should remain untouched.

For what it is worth, I tend to agree with AEDragon. We should know if/where he will play by the original September 4th start date. In the unlikely event that it is still unknown at that point (i.e. he hasn’t played yet but is on a teams roster and expected to play, that he is with a team being I’m guessing what you really had in mind but not exactly how market is literally phrased), I suppose you just wait to cash it out until there is reasonable certainty.

Favre is now a Jet. Trade just happened late on Aug 6th.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8381934/Favre-out:-Packers-trade-legend-to-Jets