Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Saturday, July 12, 2008
Favre tells Packers to release him
GREEN BAY — Brett Favre indeed wants to play football again, and he's willing to do it for someone other than the Green Bay Packers - setting up what figures to be ugly parting of the ways between the legendary quarterback and the franchise he'd embodied for 16 years.
Why? Because the Packers will not - under any circumstances - honor Favre's request for an outright release, preferring instead to trade him, two NFL sources said.
ESPN reported first Friday afternoon - and the State Journal confirmed with two NFL sources - that Favre's agent, James ''Bus'' Cook, had sent the Packers a letter in which Cook requested that the Packers unconditionally release Favre. Cook overnighted the letter from Mississippi to Green Bay Thursday, and the Packers received it at 1265 Lombardi Ave. Friday.
The State Journal reported July 2 Favre's initial conversation with the Packers a few weeks earlier about a potential comeback ended in Favre asking for his release because the team wasn't receptive to him coming back. Friday's letter made that request official, although it did not force the Packers to make a decision on Favre's status.
The Packers had decided to move on in the wake of Favre reneging on plans to unretire in late March. According to two NFL sources, Favre informed the Packers during the annual NFL meetings in late March - less than a month after his tearful March 6 retirement news conference - that he wanted to play again.
The sources said, at the time, Packers coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson told Favre they would welcome him back, and plans were made for him to return, including chartering a plane to go to Mississippi to complete the comeback deal.
But two days before the meeting was to occur, Favre called the team to say he had changed his mind yet again and had decided he wanted to stay retired.
After yet another flip-flop by Favre, the team decided to commit fully to moving on without Favre, the sources said.
McCarthy and Thompson weren't available for comment Friday. The Packers responded by releasing a statement shortly before 4 p.m., sending a clear message the club has no intention of granting Favre's request.
''The Green Bay Packers are aware of the latest developments regarding Brett Favre. Brett earned and exercised the right to retire on his terms. We wanted him to return and welcomed him back on more than one occasion,'' the statement read. ''Brett's press conference (on March 6) and subsequent conversations in the following weeks illustrated his commitment to retirement. The finality of his decision to retire was accepted by the organization. At that point, the Green Bay Packers made the commitment to move forward with our football team.
''As a retired player, Brett has the option to apply for reinstatement with Commissioner (Roger) Goodell. If that were to occur, he would become an active member of the Green Bay Packers. As always, the Packers will do what's right and in the best interest of the team.
''As with all Packers greats, Brett's legacy will always be celebrated by our fans and the organization, regardless of any change in his personal intentions. Brett and (his wife) Deanna will always be a part of the Packers family.''
On Tuesday, Favre, Cook, Thompson and McCarthy participated in a conference call in which Favre made it clear he wants to play this season, sources confirmed. Afterward, Favre was convinced the Packers did not want him back and told Cook to move forward with the formal request for his release, one of the sources said.
Favre could have instead petitioned for reinstatement from the reserve/retired list, upon which he'd been placed by the club April 25. Had he done so, the Packers would have had 24 hours to either put him back on their 80-man roster or release him.
Instead, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, Cook wrote in the letter he wanted to have ''an amicable parting,'' because the Packers hadn't embraced the idea of Favre unretiring. Thus, Favre and Cook opted to ask for Favre's outright release. Mortensen was in Hattiesburg, Miss., with Favre and Cook, but both men declined comment.
NFL senior vice president of media relations Greg Aiello said via email until Favre applies for reinstatement to active status with the commissioner's office, nothing has changed in terms of his status.
''(Right now), it's a club matter,'' Aiello said. ''The club puts a player in a roster category - active, inactive, injured reserve, reserve/retired - not the player. A player designated as retired must apply for reinstatement with the commissioner's office. That is standard procedure.''
If the Packers granted Favre's request, he would be free to play for any of the league's other 31 teams, including NFC North rivals Minnesota and Chicago, both of whom could be in the market for a quarterback.
The Packers are slated to retire Favre's No. 4 at a ceremony at Lambeau Field during the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against the Vikings on ''Monday Night Football.'' The Packers report to training camp July 27, and Favre is scheduled to present his buddy, center Frank Winters, for induction into the Packers Hall of Fame July 19.
Favre has three years left on his contract, at base salaries of $12 million in 2008, $13 million in '09 and $14 million in '10.
At age 38, Favre had a renaissance season in 2007, completing a career-best 66.5 percent of his regular-season passes for 4,155 yards, 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for a 95.7 passer rating (his best since 1995) while leading the team with the youngest opening-day roster in the NFL to the NFC Championship Game, where the Packers lost in overtime to the Super Bowl XLII-champion New York Giants.
Following his retirement announcement, Favre publicly mused about a possible comback on several occasions this spring, and in April, the Los Angeles Times reported - and the State Journal confirmed - Cook had been quietly talking to other NFL teams to gauge their interest if Favre were to return. Cook denied it, as did Favre.
Favre also issued a semi-denial July 2 that he was mulling a comeback, sending a text message to the Biloxi (Miss.) Sun Herald that talk of him contacting the Packers about his ''itch'' to play again was ''all rumor.''
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