http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp08/news/story?id=3520064
Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre went into a meeting Tuesday morning acknowledging that he was at a “stalemate” with the team and believed the “best thing for this team is for us to part ways.”
Favre left practice shortly before 3 p.m. ET Tuesday, telling ESPN’s Wendi Nix that he was not going to practice. He said there would be another meeting with his family and Packers general manager Ted Thompson to discuss trade possibilities, in hope of resolving the situation. That meeting at Favre’s house ended at 3:45 p.m. ET.
“We’re at a stalemate,” Favre said. “Mike and I both agreed last night that me being out there is a distraction and will continue to be a distraction. We all know the reason I’m here is because the commissioner [Roger Goodell] reinstated me so we have a lot of things to figure out. It’s simple and complicated, both at the same time.”
Favre said the team once again rejected his request to talk to teams about a trade within the NFC North — preferably to the Minnesota Vikings or possibly the Chicago Bears.
But a source involved in the discussions told ESPN’s Ed Werder that Favre is talking to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers about a possible trade there.
Favre left without practicing on Tuesday, but sources told Nix that his wife, Deanna, and his agent, James “Bus” Cook, were encouraging him to practice.
Favre clarified reports that he and the Packers have backpedaled on the premise that there would be an open competition with Aaron Rodgers for the starting job.
“Mike told me, hey, we’re a better team with you on it but wanted to know if I have a problem with an open competition,” Favre said. “I don’t have a problem with competing — you know that, but Aaron should be the starter right now because he’s been out here all this time. This is more than about an open competition and I can do that, absolutely, but this is going to be mass confusion and that’s not good for this team.
“I’ll practice my butt off, if it comes to that, and I think we all know what the end result will be, but this probably isn’t going to work. And I truly understand that if I was in Mike’s shoes, I’d see it basically the same way he sees it, I’m sure. And I think if he was in my shoes, he’d see it my way. I think we both agree on that.
“They want to know if I’m committed but I want to know if they’re 100 percent committed. The problem is that there’s been a lot of damage done and I can’t forget it. Stuff has been said, stories planted, that just aren’t true. Can I get over all that? I doubt it.”
Favre, who officially returned from retirement Sunday, met with McCarthy for 5½ hours on Monday night without reaching a resolution. The meeting went long enough that McCarthy had to postpone a planned briefing with the media.
Favre announced his retirement on March 6, and the Packers moved ahead with Rodgers, Favre’s former understudy, as the team’s new starting quarterback. But Favre, still under contract with the Packers, then followed through on hints that he was interested in a return to the NFL.
espn.com
8/5/08
