Duane Sampson
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Favre Suggests Packers Lied
Tue Jul 15, 2008
The Green Bay Press-Gazette reports Packers QB Brett Favre made his first public comments Monday since the team rejected his request for his release. He stated repeatedly that the team has told him he is no longer welcome in Green Bay. The roughly 11-minute segment, which appeared on the Fox News program "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren," did nothing to disprove the perception that there is a growing schism between the three-time NFL MVP and the team for which he starred the past 16 seasons. If anything, that gap opened wider as Favre suggested the team was lying publicly about its discussions with him, wants to prevent him from playing elsewhere — though he noted he "may not play anywhere" — and is patronizing him by suggesting publicly he could return but might not start. "I'm guilty of one thing, and that's retiring early, and I have an answer for that," said Favre, who has made few televised remarks since his tearful retirement speech on March 6. "I knew that I would have second thoughts, and I think HC Mike McCarthy has even made the comment that, 'You know, I knew Brett would go through this. I knew that he would have these second thoughts.' Well, I am. And so, I mean, you're telling me playing (in Green Bay) is not an option, but playing elsewhere, 'We just can't... we're trying to protect your legacy.' Well, thank you, I appreciate that. But apparently now, they want to protect my legacy by bringing me back and having me be a backup. Boy, that, that is really good." Favre's remarks were a direct answer to those made Saturday by McCarthy and GM Ted Thompson, who told the Green Bay Press-Gazette he was open to Favre's return but "the scenery has changed." While Favre repeatedly told Van Susteren he understood the team had to move on, he strongly suggested his decision to retire was impacted by the organization's insistence on having a decision early in the offseason. "Am I mad at them for that? No," he said. "And I think that's what needs to be cleared up, is that, hey, you wanted an answer? I gave you the honest answer at that time, as opposed to lying to you and saying, 'Yeah, oh yeah, I'll come back,' and giving you not what's expected of me, and that's 100 percent effort." Favre described in detail his recollection of a June 20 phone conversation with McCarthy, which was the impetus for the comeback talk that has made waves the past two weeks. Favre said he told McCarthy he'd gotten over the mental hurdle, begun working out at a local high school and was thinking about returning, then asked for McCarthy's thoughts. According to Favre, McCarthy said, "'We moved on. I had to tell the team something... You told me you were not 100 percent committed back, not only when you retired, but several weeks (after). We were talking about coming down there (in late March), and we've had that conversation, and you said you were not 100 percent committed.' I said, 'You're right. You're absolutely right.' And I said, 'But Mike' — and it was a good conversation, and we've always had good communication, the two of us — and I said, 'You're right. I totally agree. I was not 100 percent committed.' And I said, 'But you guys wanted an answer, in March, and I gave you the honest answer... Had I been able to wait until training camp, that would have been great.' He said, 'Well, why didn't you tell me that? We would have let you do it.'" But Favre said he did tell the team that initially and was pushed to make up his mind before the NFL draft, in which the Packers selected two quarterbacks, Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn, to back up new starting QB Aaron Rodgers.
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