Brett Favre wants to play and the fact is that the guy, if he can take the beating, seems to have some games and seasons left in him. Favre is staying away from the Green Bay Packers training camp. He is respecting their wishes.
The storied QB was going to show up at the Packers’ training camp on Friday, but decided to stay away at the request of Green Bay GM Ted Thompson. Thompson, it’s been reported by ESPN, pleaded with the future Hall of Fame field general to stay away.
The Green Bay icon wanted to compete for the starting QB position, but the Packers have decided to move on and who can blame them? Quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks to start. Brian Brohm will most likely backup Rodgers. Matt Flynn, who is third on the depth chart, may be the future of this club.
The Problem
The Vikings could be interested in Favre. However, he is presently under contract with the Packers and is inactive. The former Green Bay starter is open to being traded. He’s looking for commissioner Roger Goodell to mediate an agreement between the Pack and himself. The QB wants to be reinstated but held off on that request after hearing from the Green Bay GM.
Favre said, “I asked Ted (Thompson on Saturday), ‘Am I welcome in the building if I report?’ and Ted was just about shattered,” Favre observed 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.”
Recently Favre noted, “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 me 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.”
The Commissioner
The skinny is that the former Green Bay field general simply wants to play. Favre said that “Roger (Godell) is willing to help but he has to be careful. 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.”
Favre went on to note that the Packers “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.”
The Story Continues…
This Favre soap opera should continue for at least a few more weeks. Will the acclaimed quarterback be a starter in 2008? There’s still gas in the guy’s tank. If nothing else, Favre knows how to make training camp interesting even when he’s not in it.