WSJ on Favre rumors

Andy

Cheesehead
Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Messages
146
Reaction score
0
Packers: Team, agent deny Favre report

By JASON WILDE
608-252-6176
[email protected]

GREEN BAY — Maybe, and that's a big, all-capital-letters MAYBE, Brett Favre isn't done with football after all.

Despite a vehement denial from Favre's agent, who's at the center of the story, and a dismissal from general manager Ted Thompson, an NFL source said Thursday night that there's "at least something to'' a Los Angeles Times report that Favre's longtime agent, James "Bus'' Cook, has quietly approached teams around the league to gauge their interest in trading for the retired Green Bay Packers quarterback. The report cited anonymous NFL sources.

While nothing may come of it, and Favre may very well stay retired, the idea that Cook was asking such questions would mean that if Favre were having second thoughts about hanging up his cleats, he would have to continue his career with another team, since the Packers have been clear in their support of new starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The source said it's also possible that Cook was acting without Favre's knowledge. The Packers hold Favre's rights and would have to trade his rights elsewhere for him to be allowed to play.

Thompson called the idea "inconceivable'' when reached by The Associated Press, but Thompson was not returning calls regarding the report as of late Thursday afternoon. A Packers spokesman said: "We are aware of the story and we have no indication that the situation has changed.''

When asked at the end of Wednesday's NFC coaches breakfast at the NFL meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., whether Favre might un-retire, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said: "Time will tell. I don't think so. He's content with his decision. When I talked to him, he'd just gotten off a bulldozer moving trees. He definitely doesn't miss the offseason program. I think he'll feel it about September when opening day starts. That's when you have to worry about it. For 17 years in a row, his fall has always been around football.''

Cook denied that he'd contacted other teams about his client, both to the Los Angeles Times and ESPN.

"That's news to me,'' Cook told the Times. "I don't think that has anything to do with anything. He's retired, period, point blank.''

Cook told ESPN: "That is absolutely false. Absolutely false, and you can quote me on that.''

Of course, if Cook were talking to other teams without the Packers permission, that would constitute tampering by those teams, which would give Cook an ulterior reason to deny the story.

When the news broke on March 4 of Favre's intent to retire, both Cook and Favre's brother, Scott, expressed that Favre might have returned for another season had the Packers pursued free agent wide receiver Randy Moss or done more to convince Favre to come back.

"I know he wants to play one more year,'' Cook told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that day. "I do not know how much conversation there was (between Favre and the Packers) and I don't think anyone forced him to make that decision. But I don't know that anyone tried to talk him out of it.''

That same day, in an interview with WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee, Scott Favre said Thompson could have done more to "let Brett know how much they needed him, or what they were going to do, or ask him questions on what he thought about what they can do. I don't think they communicated enough.''

Then, at a teary-eyed news conference two days later, Favre denied that Cook and his brother's comments were correct and sounded very much like a man who was simply burned out and mentally exhausted following a 17-year NFL career.

"None of those things have anything to do with me retiring, and that's from the heart,'' Favre said March 6. "I've given everything I possibly can give to this organization, to the game of football, and I don't think I've got anything left to give. I know I can play, but I don't think I want to.

"I will wonder if I made the wrong decision. I'm sure on Sundays I will say, 'I could be doing that, I should be doing that.' But I'm not going to sit here like other players have said in the past (and say) I won't miss it, because I will. But I just don't think I can give anything else, aside from the three hours on Sundays, and in football you can't do that. It's a total commitment, and up to this point, I have been totally committed."

Although Favre has yet to file his retirement paperwork, which Thompson said earlier this week is simply a one-sentence fax stating his intent to retire, such a move is a mere formality — and wouldn't require him to stay retired even if he did send it in.

It's also not uncommon for players to not send them in right away, particularly if they're not in immediate need of their pension money.

"Everybody seems to be all anxious about that — that comes whenever it comes. It's a one-sentence deal. Whenever they decide to send it up, that's fine. We're in no particular hurry,'' Thompson said at the NFL meetings. "Most of the time people retire because they've been released, and a year, two, three years later, they'll send that letter. We haven't gotten one from (long-snapper) Rob Davis yet, either, and we're not worried about that, either.''

Asked about Favre not filing his retirement papers yet, McCarthy said, "I talked to Brett the other day. He even made a joke about it, 'Do you guys need that cap room?' I said, 'I think we're OK.' He goes, 'I have to file those papers.' And I said, 'Yeah, it's not really for time. I don't know what the severance pay is, but hell, after 17 years I think you'd have a pretty good nugget coming.' So, we kind of laughed about it."
 

Packnic

Cheesehead
Joined
Mar 29, 2006
Messages
2,454
Reaction score
6
Location
Salisbury, NC
every way you look someone is trying to stir up a beef between Thompson and Favre.


"None of those things have anything to do with me retiring, and that's from the heart,'' Favre said March 6. "I've given everything I possibly can give to this organization, to the game of football, and I don't think I've got anything left to give. I know I can play, but I don't think I want to.


theres the mans word. straight from his mouth on national tv. If you would rather believe a news journalist trying to stir **** up then go ahead.

this is a non story.
 

A1MEANGREEN

Cheesehead
Joined
Mar 24, 2008
Messages
252
Reaction score
7
Location
knoxville tennessee
every way you look someone is trying to stir up a beef between Thompson and Favre.


"None of those things have anything to do with me retiring, and that's from the heart,'' Favre said March 6. "I've given everything I possibly can give to this organization, to the game of football, and I don't think I've got anything left to give. I know I can play, but I don't think I want to.


theres the mans word. straight from his mouth on national tv. If you would rather believe a news journalist trying to stir **** up then go ahead.

this is a non story.
i couldnt agree more, and could not have been said any better
 

Pack93z

You retired too? .... Not me. I'm in my prime
Joined
Aug 2, 2005
Messages
4,855
Reaction score
8
Location
Central Wisconsin
If I was Favre I think I would fire off a warning to all journalists across this fine country... write this bogus crap anymore and I will take any legal action I can against your paper, magazine or what not.

All this crap in my opinion is tarnishing his reputation in the minds of those that are absorbing this crap as a possible truth. Brett says he is done.. case closed and let the man live his life in flippin peace for heaven's sake.

If I walked a day in his shoes, I would be pissed that this keeps going an going.. he shed his tears.. move on.
 

MontanaBob

Cheesehead
Joined
Feb 28, 2006
Messages
814
Reaction score
0
Location
Missoula Montana
I just heard from the 2nd cousin of a friend of someone who works at a 7-11 in Pt. Barrow Alaska, that they heard from a respected sled dog driver that he heard from some bystander along the Iditarod route that Zeke Bratkowski is coming out of retirement to back up A-Rod this next season.



Or was it a Frenchman who was saying "Zee's Brats zay are goot with ze skiing."

Anyway, you heard it here first.
 

cheesey

Cheesehead
Joined
Nov 25, 2005
Messages
1,000
Reaction score
3
Location
Wisconsin
I just heard from the 2nd cousin of a friend of someone who works at a 7-11 in Pt. Barrow Alaska, that they heard from a respected sled dog driver that he heard from some bystander along the Iditarod route that Zeke Bratkowski is coming out of retirement to back up A-Rod this next season.



Or was it a Frenchman who was saying "Zee's Brats zay are goot with ze skiing."

Anyway, you heard it here first.
I may have heard it......but that doesn't mean i understand it!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
(I do....and it was a GOOD one MB!!!) :wink:
 

Zombieslayer

Cheesehead
Joined
Aug 13, 2006
Messages
4,338
Reaction score
0
Location
CA
Conspiracy nuts.
They want to have SOMEONE to blame. TT, or MM.

Conspiracy nuts? Or writers trying to generate web hits (thus increasing advertising revenue)? I think the latter.
 

Staff online

Members online

Latest posts

Top