All Things News

Straight from the Los Angeles Times: “He’s out of prison, back in the NFL, and now Michael Vick is going to star in his own television series.

The quarterback, who took his first regular-season pro snap just two weeks ago after serving 18 months in prison, is partnering with BET for a new eight-part docu-series scheduled to air early next year. The program, tentatively titled “The Michael Vick Project,” spotlights his controversial comeback with the Philadelphia Eagles while also examining his tumultuous past — including his troubled childhood and his 2007 arrest for running a dogfighting ring.

“I just want people to really get to know me as an individual,” Vick said last week in an interview from his home in Philadelphia. “What I want to do is change the perception of me. I am a human being. I’ve made some mistakes in the past, and I wish it had never happened. But it’s not about how you fall, but about how you pick yourself up.”

The onetime NFL star’s decision to expose his private life to a television audience follows a flurry of recent news and sports media interviews, which began with “60 Minutes” in mid-August. The Vick series is a gamble for a quarterback who is eager to rehabilitate his tarnished image but also doesn’t want to incur the further wrath of animal rights protesters, many of whom argued against his reinstatement to the NFL.

That may be difficult. Officials with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals expressed skepticism about the project.

“People who abuse animals don’t deserve to be rewarded,” said PETA spokesman Dan Shannon. “They shouldn’t be given multimillion-dollar contracts . . . or given the privilege of being a role model.

“We don’t believe Michael Vick understands the seriousness of his crime. I think he’s sorry he got caught, but only time will tell if he’s truly remorseful.”

The project is being produced by DuBose Entertainment; Vick’s production company, MV7 Productions; and Category 5 Entertainment. No one associated with the production would comment on Vick’s compensation for the series. In August, a federal judge approved Vick’s six-year plan to repay creditors an estimated $20 million and emerge from bankruptcy.

Producers of the Vick series emphasized the program should be considered a docu-series — not a typical reality show like VH-1’s “The T.O. Show,” which revels in the excesses of its flamboyant star, wide receiver Terrell Owens. The tone of Vick’s show, say producers, will be serious and somber as it focuses on his personal struggles since his release, including the strains on his relationships with his fiancée, Kijafa Frink, and his children. It will also revisit the federal prison in Leavenworth, Kan., where Vick spent 1 1/2 years behind bars and the Virginia property where he ran and financed a dogfighting ring.

“This show can be a blueprint for so many kids,” he said. “I want to show them that things are going to happen, that they’re not going to get through life without dealing with some kind of adversity. I want to show that if they have a fall from grace, this is how they can turn it around. We want this to be a story of hope.”

James DuBose, executive producer for the project, said the series would be much more illuminating than Vick’s recent media interviews.

“We’ve heard the results, but we have not seen the process of how Michael got to where he was,” said DuBose, who has produced several reality-based series for BET.

“This is the raw storytelling of what happened, why and how.”

The project has the support of the Eagles, the NFL and former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy, who has acted as Vick’s mentor since his imprisonment, say the producers. Also on board, they say, is the Humane Society, which has enlisted Vick in its battle to end the widespread abuse of dogs in the inner city.

BET’s new entertainment chief, Loretha Jones, says the Vick project fits squarely into the network’s new branding strategy of family values, cultural uplift and community pride. When she learned several months ago that Vick was being released, Jones was immediately interested in developing a series around him.

“I did not reach out for this show in order to court controversy,” said Jones. “That’s not where we’re taking the network. . . . It’s important for us to capture this important moment to see what someone does when they have the opportunity to rebuild themselves. It might serve as a road map for young men facing the same challenge.”

The series will not downplay Vick’s notorious past, Jones emphasized.

“No way are we excusing or minimizing the atrocity that Michael was involved in,” she said. “Michael makes no attempt to do that. It is inexcusable. However, there are numerous public figures who have engaged in egregious behavior and have been given a second chance.”

Vick is aware that the series may do little to alter the negative perception some hold against him.

“All I can ask is that people are receptive and come to this with an open mind,” said Vick. “I can’t change the past, I can only change the present. I know there are people who can’t forget what I did, but I hope they can someday forgive me.”"

Straight from NFL.com Blogs: “NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed Eagles QB Michael Vick on Thursday that he will be reinstated for the third game of the regular season, Jason La Canfora reports.

Goodell met with Vick earlier today, and Eagles coach Andy Reid also attended. Goodell said he also spoke at length with former NFL coach Tony Dungy, who has served as a mentor to Vick in recent months.

“Ultimately, it was my decision,” Goodell told a group of national media members Thursday.

Asked why he decided on the third week of the regular season versus the regular-season opener, Goodell responded: “I do not want him to be put in a position where he’s overwhelmed.”

Goodell also said Vick understood the ruling.

“He’s very realistic about the challenges ahead,” Goodell said.

Vick will see his last live game action for several weeks tonight in the Eagles’ preseason finale against the Jets at 7 p.m. ET (live on NFL Network).

Earlier Thursday, Goodell told SIRIUS Radio that part of his discussion with Vick revolved around media reports that he consumed an alcoholic beverage. Goodell then clarified the situation, saying Vick had a drink with his dinner, and said it wasn’t a violation of the probation. But he later noted to media members that the episode — and the attention it drew — serve as a reminder of just how closely Vick must abide by all statutes and to what degree he is being watched.

“I wanted to use it as a reinforcement that he is under a tremendous microscope here,” Goodell told SIRIUS Radio’s Chris Russo. ”People are going to jump to conclusions, people are going to frame it in a way that he may not be able control. He has to be very careful of that.”

Goodell, who said he isn’t concerned about Vick from a “football standpoint,” reiterated he is trying to do whatever he can to help Vick as a person. He referred to Vick’s progress as a “step by step” process and said he hopes the QB will apply the life lessons he learns to the rest of his life.

“I believe he is recognizing these are life-management skills,” Goodell said.”

Straight from Forbes: “With 45 million monthly unique visitors, the microblogging site Twitter has emerged as an ideal platform for broadcasting personal opinions on nearly every subject matter. The National Football League, the powerful sports league with more than $4 billion in annual television revenues alone, thinks all that frivolous tweeting could seriously damage its business.

In preparation for the upcoming season, the NFL has instituted a set of new guidelines attempting to restrict how fans can use social media applications like Facebook and Twitter to talk about professional football. Under the rules, the NFL says fans are encouraged to circulate messages about teams and players, but cannot post play-by-play accounts of actual games.

The NFL also aims to prohibit fans attending games in person from posting large quantities of videos shot from the stands onto sites capable of hosting videos, such as YouTube, Facebook or MySpace. The NFL sells exclusive rights to television networks and radio stations to broadcast the games, says NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, and posting text or video recaps of each play could undermine the league and its broadcasting partners’ efforts to make money airing the games.

If the NFL identifies fans violating the new rules, league officials say they’ll contact them and tell them to stop posting text or video. If fans refuse, the league will consider filing a lawsuit, McCarthy said.

The strong-armed tactics demonstrate how worried sports leagues are about the impact of social media on their business. But they also open the NFL up to a potentially ugly legal battle if the league cracks down on fans.

The NFL “has no property right over fans’ tweets,” says Wendy Seltzer, a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society. Fans have the same right guaranteed by the First Amendment to publish accounts of football games, even in play-by-play form, that any news organization would, she argues.

Seltzer says the NFL could theoretically claim that fans were violating the league’s trademarks by using the names of teams and players, but that wouldn’t likely hold up in court.

Similar legal issues arose in the late 1990s when the National Basketball Association sued to block Motorola from operating a service that sent continuously updated sports scores and game information to pagers. In that case, the NBA tried to argue that the stats service both violated the league’s copyrights and misappropriated their commercial property. Both claims were denied by courts.

Regarding video, Seltzer says that the NFL and its teams could insert a clause in the text on the back of tickets stating that fans are prohibited from using recording equipment in stadiums. Some teams already include such language.

Yet enforcing such rules would be tricky. Teams would have to physically remove fans from the stands. And if fans ignore the rules and record video, Seltzer argues that the league would have no property right over resulting footage and would have to prove to a judge that posting the video on Facebook or YouTube actually reduced the value of their TV broadcasts.

There is some historical precedent for pro sports organizations trying to block media access to game footage and information to protect important sources of revenue. Bill Wirtz, former owner of the National Hockey League’s Chicago Blackhawks, famously blocked local broadcasts of games in hopes of stimulating ticket sales. After Wirtz died in 2007, the team abandoned the practice, realizing the marketing power of television to expand its fan base.

Along with installing rules to regulate fans’ tweets and Facebook updates, the NFL also announced new rules for players and coaches. They can use social media applications until 90 minutes before each the start of a game and have to wait until traditional media interviews are finished before they resume posting personal messages. Of course, the league has more legal leverage to enforce rules over team members. This summer, the San Diego Chargers reportedly fined cornerback Antonio Cromartie $2,500 for using Twitter to complain about the food served at the team’s training camp.

NFL spokesman McCarthy says the league has yet to identify a case of a fan attempting to post a play-by-play account on the Web but that it needed established rules in case such a situation occurs. If its threats fail to deter excessive tweeting, the NFL better come up with a strong legal and PR case before they drag one of their own fans into court.”

Straight from ESPN: “The Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and other local civil rights groups are planning a massive demonstration to support Michael Vick at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday, when Vick is expected to make his debut with the Eagles.

“We believe Michael Vick has served his time, paid his debt to society and deserves a second chance and the animal rights groups want to hold him hostage for the rest of his life,” J. Whyatt Mondesire, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, said Wednesday. “We think that’s patently unfair. It denies Michael Vick’s basic civil rights, denies him his ability to make a living.”

Mondesire said about a half-dozen groups from around the Philadelphia area were planning to meet at the front of Lincoln Financial Field and begin a march around the stadium prior to the Eagles’ preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Eagles have not heard of any planned demonstration or protest from animal rights groups, which met with team management for two hours on Monday at the team’s practice facility. Although no local animal rights group have yet to partner with the Eagles or Vick in a local anti-dogfighting campaign, the meeting appeared to end on a positive note and head off any planned massive protest, participants said.

Nevertheless, the Eagles’ security operation is planning for individual animal rights protests, and now must plan for the pro-Vick march.”

Straight from ESPN: “Fran Tarkenton, who previously has expressed his loathing over Brett Favre’s inability to make a decision, spoke out again Wednesday, a day after Favre decided to sign with the Minnesota Vikings.

“I really have no interest in what Brett Favre does. He kind of lost me a few years ago by retiring and un-retiring and here and there,” Tarkenton said on “The Opening Drive” on Sirius NFL Radio.

“I asked a few friends here, maybe 10 or 12 people we were out with last night. I said, ‘What do you think about Brett Favre going back to the Vikings?’ You know who cared? Nobody. It’s good news for you guys. It’s good news for television and so forth but the last time I heard … football was a team sport, isn’t it? It’s not just about the quarterback.”

Favre, who first retired in March 2008, came out of retirement and forced the Green Bay Packers — with whom he had starred for 16 years — to trade him to the New York Jets in August when the Packers declined to accept his un-retirement.

He played one season for the Jets, then retired again in February.

But rumors started bubbling again in May that Favre wasn’t fully committed to retiring. Vikings coach Brad Childress communicated regularly with Favre. And Tarkenton — a Hall of Famer who spent five seasons with the New York Giants, but is remembered for his 13 seasons with the Vikings — made clear he was disgusted by the team’s flirtation with Favre.

“I think he has been a great flamboyant quarterback, but he has made more stupid plays than any great quarterback that I’ve ever seen. Look at his final game in a Packers uniform. He blew that game [NFC championship] against the Giants,” Tarkenton said in late May on KFAN-1130 in the Twin Cities.

At first, Favre said he would remain retired. Then he wasn’t sure. He said he would let the Vikings know by July 30. Then he decided he’d stay retired. Then on Tuesday, he flew to Minnesota and signed a two-year deal worth $25 million.

“I really think the whole Brett Favre saga of retiring, un-retiring, three weeks ago [saying] ‘I can’t play,’ the Vikings said, ‘We’re moving on,’ it’s a circus,” Tarkenton said Wednesday “The Opening Drive.” “It’s an absolute circus, and it takes away from all the other things that are going on with the Vikings, with the NFL. We’re getting ready for a football season and this is a circus and I just have no interest in it.

“Wouldn’t you be upset if you’re a Packer fan? I think you’re going to have Packer fans burning the No. 4 Favre Green Bay jersey. I think the Packer fans have every right to be outraged.”

Packers fans might be upset, but Vikings fans have embraced their new quarterback, as evidenced by the Vikings’ ticket sales.

The team has sold more than 3,000 season tickets in 24 hours, and about 10,000 single-game tickets during that time. Seats for the Oct. 5 game against Green Bay are available only through a season ticket. There are roughly 7,000 season tickets remaining.

Last season, the Vikings had to race to beat the blackout deadline for several games.

Merchandise also is moving. Team chief marketing officer Steve LaCroix said several hundred pre-orders for Favre jerseys were placed online Tuesday. The purple No. 4s were scheduled to begin showing up in stores Wednesday.

Tony Dungy, the former Indianapolis Colts coach who retired — and has stayed retired — in January, was on “The Waddle and Silvy” show on ESPN 1000 in Chicago, and said Favre has a limited window in which to win over his new teammates.

“I would be very worried about that if I were the Minnesota Vikings and their head coach,” Dungy said on “The Waddle and Silvy” show. “He’s going to have to let them know he’s as committed as they are. And get that across to them. If that happens, it could to be a big boost. If it doesn’t happen, if players feel you weren’t in this from the beginning … is he really in this with us? If there were feelings for quarterbacks who were already there … it’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out.”"

Oh, and the Brett Favre Career Interception Record Watch page as been updated. I couldn’t pass up this fabulous quote from Mr. Tarkenton, or withhold my excitement with the knowledge that Mr. 310 will be slinging interceptions once again in the very near future!

Straight from the Aw Jeez, Not This Favre Shit Again Department via ESPN (thanks for the heads-up Warren): “A source close to Brett Favre said the quarterback, pending a physical, will sign a contract with the Minnesota Vikings for between $10 million to $12 million, according to ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen.

Favre, 39, arrived in Minnesota on Tuesday to meet with the Vikings, getting off a team plane at a small St. Paul airport and getting into an SUV after shaking hands with the ground crew.

Coach Brad Childress confirmed the planned meeting in an e-mail to The Associated Press. Asked if the plan was to sign Favre, Childress replied: “In a perfect world.”

Bus Cook, Favre’s agent, said it was “a done deal,” according to USA Today.

“He thinks he still has something left in the tank and I think it will work well,” Cook told USA Today.

Favre is expected to take a physical later Tuesday.

Favre, a longtime star in Green Bay, came out of retirement last season to play for the New York Jets. He retired again, only to then entertain the idea of joining the Vikings. Three weeks ago, Childress said the quarterback would stay retired.

The pronouncement now appears to be premature.

Two television stations first reported that Favre was seen boarding a plane Tuesday morning that was headed to Minneapolis.

Sources told Hattiesburg television station WDAM, which initially broke the story, that Favre had said: “We may know something by dinner.”

A high-level source first told Minneapolis TV station WCCO that Favre was expected to sign a deal with the Vikings on Tuesday.

ESPN’s Ed Werder reported that according to a source, Favre told close friends and family members before boarding the plane Tuesday: “I’m going to play football.”

The decision to do so comes even though Favre has informed the team that Dr. James Andrews detected a slight tear in his right rotator cuff in May while performing arthroscopic surgery on the quarterback’s passing shoulder in May, according to a source.

It was concern about that injury, and the pain in both of his ankles and left knee, that discouraged Favre from signing with the Vikings before training camp.

Favre, who holds almost all of the NFL’s career passing records, has never been much of a fan of offseason practices, though. Last summer, he ended his retirement with the Packers and forced a trade to the Jets, where he faded down the stretch amid problems with his throwing arm.

But Favre remained in regular communication with the Vikings’ coaching staff the past three weeks, and a source said that owner Zygi Wilf had to do very little convincing when the two met this week near Favre’s home in Hattiesburg.

“He had a lot of aches and pains and they basically needed a commitment from him before he felt he was ready to play,” a source told Werder. “He wants to be able to do the best he can do and doesn’t want to disappoint them.”

The Vikings are aware of the small tear in Favre’s rotator cuff.

“The tear is still there and there’s always a possibility something could happen with it later on,” a source told Werder. “He wanted to give it the best chance he could before he made a commitment. But the last three weeks, it hasn’t gotten any worse and he’s been working hard. Hell, who knows? It could flare up again if they make him throw 50 or 60 balls a day.

“Three weeks ago, he wasn’t ready to go play and didn’t feel physically he could do what they needed him to do. But three more weeks of working out and now he’s feeling that he’s able to throw the football and he’s going to give it a try.”

The Vikings finished training camp last week and beat Indianapolis 13-3 in their preseason opener Friday. They got a strong performance from quarterback Sage Rosenfels, who has been competing with Tarvaris Jackson for the starting job since Favre jilted the team July 28.

The Vikings are expected to challenge for the NFC North title this season, with whomever is behind center.

Rosenfels and Jackson have had some rough moments during practice. Jackson hurt his knee, missed a few workouts and then returned, but he was out of sync last week against the Colts.

Rosenfels did well, but preseason games are tough to evaluate and Indianapolis held out all four starting defensive backs.

On Monday, Jackson, responding to the day’s scuttlebutt that Favre was predicted to play in Minnesota this season, said he was not paying attention to any of the talk.

“I pretty much have said [Favre] probably will follow me even when I retire. I’ll probably have to hear about it. I’m just trying to take care of my business, and I can’t worry about that stuff,” Jackson said, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “If I let that stuff get to me, ain’t no telling where I’d be right now. I just let it roll off my shoulder and just keep going. Just keep trying to get better.”"

Straight from Fox News: “Michael Vick is back in the NFL, landing a job with the Philadelphia Eagles.

“He signed with the Eagles,” agent Joel Segal told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Thursday. He said it was a two-year deal.

Vick, once the NFL’s highest-paid player, has not played since 2006. The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback was convicted in August 2007 of conspiracy and running a dogfighting operation, and served 18 of a 23-month sentence in federal prison. He also was suspended indefinitely by the NFL.

Commissioner Roger Goodell conditionally lifted Vick’s suspension on July 27, allowing him to sign with a team, practice and play in the last two preseason games. Once the season begins, Vick can participate in all team activities except games, and Goodell said he would consider Vick for full reinstatement by Week 6 (Oct. 18-19) at the latest.

The Eagles went to the playoffs last season under quarterback Donovan McNabb, and are still looking for their elusive first Super Bowl win.

The team, though, is a surprise landing point for Vick. It was among 26 clubs that said there was no interest in Vick, but that may have changed when backup Kevin Kolb strained a knee ligament earlier this week. Kolb’s injury isn’t serious and he’s expected to return next week. The Eagles also have veteran A.J. Feeley.

When news of Vick’s signing circulated in the press box during the first half of the Eagles’ preseason opener against New England, even the team’s public relations staff seemed surprised.”

Straight from Fox News: “Michael Vick was reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday and could play in regular-season games as early as October.

Vick can immediately participate in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the final two preseason games — if he can find a team that will sign him. A number of teams have already said they would not.

“Needless to say, your margin for error is extremely limited,” Goodell said in a letter to Vick. “I urge you to take full advantage of the resources available to support you and to dedicate yourself to rebuilding your life and your career. If you do this, the NFL will support you.”

Goodell suspended Vick indefinitely in August 2007 after the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback admitted bankrolling the “Bad Newz Kennels” dogfighting operation. Goodell said then that Vick must show remorse and signs that he has changed before he would consider reinstating him.

“We worked with animal rights activist groups and medial professionals,” Goodell said at a news conference Monday evening. “Those tests didn’t indicate there were any reasons he couldn’t make that transition forward.”

Once the season begins, Vick may participate in all team activities except games, and Goodell said he would consider Vick for full reinstatement by Week 6 (Oct. 18-19).

“He will have to earn it,” Goodell told reporters about the chance for full reinstatement. “It’s up to him now. “

Goodell said Vick will have some “big decisions off the field to make and how he will conduct himself.”

“Hopefully he will conduct himself in a more positive way,” Goodell said. “Playing in the NFL is a privilege. It is not a right to be an NFL player.”

that said, Goodell added, “Obviously, when you are dealing with 2,000 young men, you are going to have mistakes.”

Vick expressed his gratitude for his second chance.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to commissioner Goodell for allowing me to be readmitted to the National Football League,” Vick said through agent Joel Segal. “I fully understand that playing football in the NFL is a privilege, not a right, and I am truly thankful for the opportunity I have been given.

“As you can imagine, the last two years have given me time to re-evaluate my life, mature as an individual and fully understand the terrible mistakes I have made in the past and what type of life I must lead moving forward.

“Again, I want to thank the commissioner for the chance to return to the game I love and the opportunity to become an example of positive change.”

The announcement came after a busy first week of freedom for Vick, who met with union leaders and Goodell on consecutive days last week. His 23-month federal sentence ended when an electronic monitor was removed from his ankle early on July 20 at his home in Hampton, Va.

He met with DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, last Tuesday and, on Wednesday, he sat down with Goodell at a security firm in Allendale, N.J.

But Vick’s issues are far from over and he needs a team to call his own. So far, the owners of the New York Giants, Jets and Dallas Cowboys have said they had no interest in the 29-year-old quarterback. Neither do the Falcons, who officially released Vick in June.

Vick needs to find a team so he can get himself out of financial ruin. He filed for bankruptcy protection last July, listing assets of about $16 million and debts of more than $20 million, and has a hearing about his plan to repay his creditors on Friday in Norfolk, Va. That plan is built around his ability to make NFL-type money again.

He’s unlikely to command anything close to the 10-year, $130 million contract he once had with the Falcons, or to get endorsement deals after the grisly details of his involvement in the dogfighting ring.

Vick finally pleaded guilty after his three co-defendants had already done so. They told of how Vick participated in the killing of dogs that didn’t perform well in test fights by shooting, hanging, drowning or slamming them to the ground.

Vick’s appearances at federal court in Richmond, Va., all came with large groups of protestors outside. Many were with PETA and held signs depicting photographs of Pit Bulls ravaged in dogfights and decrying the brutality in the gruesome details that emerged in the case.

A smaller group came to show support for Vick wearing jerseys with his No. 7.

Vick has already taken some steps to begin rebuilding his image and showing remorse.

He met with the president of the Humane Society of the United States while serving the first 18 months of his federal sentence in the prison at Leavenworth, Kan. He plans to work with HSUS in a program designed to steer inner city youth away from dogfighting. He was not permitted to work with the program while in custody.

“It’s been a long process,” Segal said. “He’s thrilled for the opportunity to resume his playing career. He understands he has a lot to prove.”"

[June 18th, 2009] Update: The shit just keeps on flowing from the Aw Jeez, Not This Favre Shit Again Department via Fox Sports: “About 10 minutes into Joe Buck’s interview with Brett Favre, the quarterback began to speculate on his prospects with the Minnesota Vikings.

He loves the offense, as it’s the same one he ran for 16 seasons in Green Bay.

He’d have a running back, Adrian Peterson, who looks like a future Hall of Famer.

And the defense doesn’t suck, either. That went without saying.

We. Hold up. We? Who’s we?

In that moment, Favre gave himself up. For all his down-home, “aw-shucks” charm, the once-beloved quarterback came across as something of a schemer. Now that he’s talked, it’s even more difficult to believe this arrangement with Minnesota hasn’t been in the works for a while. Favre didn’t come off as fickle, so much as sneaky. What’s more, you can understand why the Packers filed tampering charges against the Vikings almost a year ago.

The theme of HBO’s inaugural “Joe Buck Live” was sports and celebrity. It’s an interesting topic, though not a new one. And while ballplayers tend to be treated more graciously and adoringly than other American celebs, I’ll concede that their lives have been complicated in this intrusive, mean-spirited and occasionally hilarious age of blogging and cell-phone photography.

But I refuse to be offended by the reporter doing his stand-up in front of Favre’s house in Mississippi. God bless him. He’s earning a semi-honest living. Nor am I concerned that this guy’s editors are having him Twitter when Favre gets on the plane. So what?

Brett Favre isn’t an innocent bystander. He brought this on himself. As regards his whereabouts and intentions, he’s been running one misdirection play after another. With this interview now in evidence, it seems that most of what he’s been denying and no-commenting is true.

Yes, he wants to play for the Vikings.

That’s why he had arthroscopic shoulder surgery almost three weeks ago. And that’s why the Vikings team trainer flew out to meet with him on Sunday.

And yes, head coach Brad Childress wanted him to attend organized team activities last week. “He wanted me to be there to be part of the team,” said Favre.

This sound like a guy who hasn’t made up his mind?

Bottom line, after a season of scheming, Favre has finally found a way to get to the Vikings — the last place the Packers (who had ample justification) wanted him to be.

Now Favre complains of reporters and talk show hosts who seek to “create controversy.”

Nonsense. This controversy is a creature of his own creation. Worse still, for a year and a half now, he’s jerked a lot of people around. First, it was the Packers — whose front office bent over backwards for him — and their fans. Then it was the Jets and theirs.

No, my heart doesn’t bleed for Woody Johnson and the geniuses who run the Jets’ business affairs. Just as Favre used them, they used him — to sell personal seat licenses. But what of those fans who bought those PSLs based on Favre? He quit on them after a season, told them he was retiring when in fact he was not. They have a right to feel betrayed. Now consider the fans in Green Bay. They feel that same betrayal — times 16.

“I wonder if you worry about tarnishing your legacy in the league by coming back, going away, coming back?” asked Buck.

“I think the 16 years I spent in Green Bay speak for themselves,” said Favre.

And I think that answer was an unwitting lesson in the real price of celebrity. The man who’s been too famous for too long, risks losing touch. He starts believing he can jerk everybody around — then declare himself shocked at the repercussions.

According to Favre, the vast majority of people “don’t give a s—” where he goes.

I don’t think that’s true. People cared about this guy, what he did and what he stood for. That’s the real shame here. Brett Favre, the ballsiest of all quarterbacks, has managed to turn himself into just another celebrity.”

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[June 9th, 2009] Update: Another update from the Aw Jeez, Not This Favre Shit Again Department via ESPN: “Brett Favre’s determination to play quarterback this season for the Minnesota Vikings prompted him to undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair his injured passing shoulder recently, according to two sources. However, Favre remains unable to make a commitment because subsequent throwing sessions indicate the shoulder is not yet 100 percent.

While Favre has now clearly demonstrated his interest in coming out of retirement for a 19th season in the NFL, it seems equally obvious that he will not do so unless convinced he has recovered fully from the torn biceps tendon that undermined him last year with the New York Jets.

Favre began considering options to repair the shoulder last month when he sought advice from acclaimed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. Favre and Andrews discussed surgical and non-surgical options. When cortisone injections and exercise therapies that included weight lifting failed to release the damaged tendon naturally, Favre consented to the arthroscopic surgery.

Favre has thrown on a limited basis since the surgery, which occurred last month, but has not felt close to “100 percent” and would not come back unless he makes significant progress, sources said.

Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, would not confirm or deny the surgery, saying “That’s a confidential client privilege.”

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[May 18th, 2009] Update: More from the Aw Jeez, Not This Favre Shit Again Department via ESPN: “Brett Favre will meet with renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews on Tuesday in Alabama to discuss surgery on his throwing shoulder expected to be performed later this week, the St. Paul Pioneer Press has reported.

Rehabilitation from the surgery, which will release a partially torn biceps tendon in Favre’s right arm, would be six to eight weeks, the report said.

Favre, 39, consulted with Andrews last week, a source told ESPN. According to the Pioneer Press, Favre then missed another scheduled appointment with Andrews.

The biceps tendon release is a routine procedure which, if successful in alleviating Favre’s shoulder pain, would allow him to be ready to fully participate in football activities by training camp.

It would afford Favre the simplest and most efficient measure of evaluating how much the bicep was responsible for the pain he experienced last season.

According to the Pioneer Press report, there are other suspected sources of pain in Favre’s shoulder. Although it wasn’t clear what those were, rotator cuff involvement often accompanies bicep tendon injuries in throwers.

The report further indicates Favre’s intent to consider signing with the Minnesota Vikings despite announcing his retirement with the New York Jets after last season.

The Jets subsequently released Favre from his contract, making him a free agent and giving him the option of signing with any team.”

---

[May 6th, 2009] Straight from the Aw Jeez, Not This Favre Shit Again Department via the Star Tribune: “Vikings coach Brad Childress is expected to depart for Mississippi later today and meet with quarterback Brett Favre tonight and Thursday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Childress remained at Winter Park early this afternoon but the source said he is expected to have dinner with Favre this evening and begin discussions about Favre joining the Vikings.

The in-depth portion of the meeting is expected to take place Thursday. Among the Vikings’ chief concerns is the status of Favre’s injured right biceps. At this point, the meeting is expected to take place in Mississippi, where Favre lives.

Favre, the longtime Green Bay Packers star, was granted his release from the Jets’ reserve/retired list last week and thus is free to sign with any team he wants. Favre announced his retirement for a second consecutive offseason in February after a season with the Jets. Favre retired in March 2008 from the Packers but changed his mind.

The Packers did not want him back and at that point he set his sights on playing for the Vikings. The Packers made sure that didn’t happen by trading Favre to New York.”

Madden and Favre, inseparable in football and now in retirement as well

Citing the fact that he will no longer have Favre around to fellate on television, John Madden calls it quits. It would appear as though this solidifies Favre’s retirement.

Straight from NBC Sports: “John Madden is retiring from football announcing, where his enthusiastic, down-to-earth style made him one of sports’ most popular broadcasters for three decades.

The Hall of Fame coach spent the last three seasons on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.” His final telecast was the Super Bowl in February.

“You know at some point you have to do this — I got to that point,” Madden said on his Bay Area radio show Thursday. “The thing that made it hard is not because I’m second guessing, ‘is it the right decision?’ But I enjoyed it so damn much.

“I enjoyed the game and the players and the coaches and the film and the travel and everything.”

Cris Collinsworth will replace Madden, moving over from the network’s studio show, NBC Sports chief Dick Ebersol said. Collinsworth filled in when Madden took a game off last October.

Ebersol called Madden “absolutely the best sports broadcaster who ever lived.”

Madden said his health is fine, but at the age of 73, he wanted to spend more time with his family. His 50th wedding anniversary is this fall, and his five grandchildren are old enough to notice when he’s gone.

“If you hated part of it or if something was wrong, it’d be easy,” Madden said.

Madden’s blue-collar style and love for in-the-trenches football endeared him to fans. His “Madden NFL Football” is the top-selling sports video game of all time.

Madden is reluctant to fly and often traveled to games in a specially equipped bus.

Longtime broadcast partner Al Michaels said Madden will have a unique place in pro football history.”

At the end of his retirement announcement, Madden dedicated this video to Favre:

Straight from ESPN: “LUBBOCK, Texas — Slingin’ Sammy Baugh, the ultimate three-way threat who revolutionized the use of the forward pass as a Hall of Fame quarterback for the Washington Redskins, died Wednesday night. He was 94.

…

Sammy Baugh was the last surviving member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural class.

After starring at TCU, “Slingin’ Sammy” played with the Redskins from 1937 to 1952, leading them to the NFL title in his rookie season and again in 1942.

Baugh was the best all-around player in an era when such versatility was essential. In 1943, he led the league in passing, punting and defensive interceptions. In one game, he threw four touchdown passes and intercepted four as well. He threw six touchdowns passes in a game twice. His 51.4-yard punting average in 1940 is still the NFL record.

“There’s nobody any better than Sam Baugh was in pro football,” Don Maynard, a fellow West Texas Hall of Famer who played for Baugh, said in a 2002 interview. “When I see somebody picking the greatest player around, to me, if they didn’t go both ways, they don’t really deserve to be nominated. I always ask, ‘Well, how’d he do on defense? How was his punting?’”

When Baugh entered the NFL, the forward pass was so rare that it was unveiled mostly in desperate situations. But Baugh turn the pass into a regular feature of the offensive game plan.

As a rookie in 1937, he completed a record 81 passes (about seven a game) and led the league with 1,127 yards. By contrast, only six quarterbacks averaged three completions a game that year. He went on to lead the league in passing six times.

Baugh still holds Redskins records for career touchdown passes (187) and completion percentage in a season (70.3). His 31 interceptions on defense are third on the team’s career list.”

Straight from the Football Wire: “

• The Jets will give up a third rounder if the team doesn’t win the Super Bowl. If they do, and Favre plays 75% of the snaps then that will turn into a first rounder.
• The Jets protected themselves against a one-and-done year from him. If he doesn’t play beyond 2008 then the Packers will give up a late round pick (5th, 6th or 7th).
• The Packers did include a clause in the contract that states if Favre is traded to the Vikings then the compensation escalates to three first round picks.
• He will be in New York for their first preseason game but won’t play.
• Chad Pennington is likely gone. He’s due $6 million this year.
• By week 8 of the season, the Packers will be very sorry for trading Favre.
• The Bucs were sure they had Favre wrapped up. Even the way Gruden and Garcia talked it sounded like it was a done deal.”

Straight from Yahoo Sports: “GREEN BAY, Wis. – If you’re one of those people who’s sick and tired of the Brett Favre Saga, rest assured that Michael John McCarthy is a kindred spirit.

It was the Packers’ third-year coach whose distaste for the drama pushed the situation to its imminent resolution, with a reported trade to the New York Jets late Wednesday night. McCarthy is also responsible for having successfully persuaded the legendary quarterback to give up his dream of playing for the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay’s NFC North rival, in an effort to end the month-long stalemate between Favre and his soon-to-be-former employers.

After the Packers’ training camp practice at Clark Hinkle Field on Wednesday morning, McCarthy smiled broadly when asked about his team, rather than the messy departure of its longtime quarterback.

Naturally, his answer quickly devolved into an assessment of Favre’s three-day sojourn to Green Bay and its effect upon the 79 other players he has been short-changing in terms of attention.

“From the outside of the white lines to the inside, they just want it resolved,” McCarthy said. “They don’t want to answer the questions anymore. They’re a little irritated. Unfortunately, they watch TV, they go home to their families, and everybody is asking them what’s going on. It will be nice to finally have an answer.”

A resolution came Wednesday night, and that was largely because McCarthy demanded it. If Favre wanted to force the Packers’ hand by flying from his Mississippi home to Green Bay on Sunday and reporting to camp the next day, he was ultimately successful. However sloppy his delivery and subsequent sniping at his superiors in the media, the quarterback brought an uncomfortable situation to a pressure point and compelled the Packers to act.

When McCarthy saw the drama and uncertainty negatively impacting his players, specifically in the form of a ragged practice on Tuesday afternoon, he decided he’d had enough.

On Tuesday night, McCarthy addressed the players and told them that the “worst was over” and that it was time for the team to move on. He also apologized for the events of the previous night, when his sit-down with Favre dragged on so long that he was forced to cancel a team meeting and skip a position meeting with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ other quarterbacks.

“At some point, for me, it’s an issue of job-responsibility,” McCarthy said Wednesday. “If you’re doing six hours of this stuff, that takes you away from all of your other duties as a head coach. I know I still gave them a plan going into (Tuesday’s) practice, but when you see it look so lousy, you feel responsible.”

He was happier after Wednesday morning’s practice, which he said was much crisper. By then, Favre was preparing to fly home to Mississippi (he departed Wednesday afternoon), content that a trade had been fast-tracked and that he’d soon be reporting to another team’s training camp.

If Favre’s return galvanized the franchise, McCarthy and his fellow decision-makers (CEO Mark Murphy and general manager Ted Thompson) nonetheless continued to regard the quarterback’s steadfast desire to play for the Vikings as unacceptable. The animosity between the organizations had increased after the Packers formally accused the Vikings of tampering in conjunction with an effort to obtain Favre, a charge that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell later ruled was unfounded.

McCarthy, for his part, had to convince Favre to let go of his yearning to play for the Vikings. The coach told Favre that it wasn’t going to happen, that the tension between the franchises predated both of them and would outlive each of them.

Once Favre wrapped his head around that, going to Tampa Bay (the Bucs were also heavily involved in trade talks with the Packers) or New York didn’t seem so distasteful.

It wasn’t merely that the Packers wanted to keep Favre away from the Vikings or fellow NFC North foe Chicago. Thompson and McCarthy also had a strong desire not to give away their still capable quarterback for nothing, or close to it.

Most of all, the organization didn’t want to validate Favre’s behavior of the past few months by letting him get his way. Since Favre retired in March – and told McCarthy he’d had a change of heart weeks later, only to change his mind again – McCarthy and Thompson have repeatedly been stung by the critical comments he has made to various reporters about them, including the assertion that they were dishonest. To allow him to go to Minnesota would be catering to the wishes of an employee they felt was borderline insubordinate.

“No way,” one source familiar with the GM’s and coach’s thinking said on Tuesday. “Not with the way he keeps opening his mouth and trashing everybody. We keep biting our tongues and trying to take the high road, and every time he goes into a meeting and they agree to keep it confidential, he goes running to the media and rips them in the press. And now, to give him exactly what he wants and let him go for nothing? Forget about it.”

How blatantly did Favre disregard the wishes of his superiors? In his hours-long meeting with McCarthy on Monday night, one of the coach’s direct complaints to the quarterback was that he was tired of having their supposedly confidential conversations leaked in the press. McCarthy told Favre, point-blank, that he didn’t want to turn on his TV or computer after the meeting ended and see quotes from Favre, anonymous or otherwise, discussing the interaction.

Yet on Tuesday morning, an article turned up on espn.com with numerous quotes from Favre. The quarterback said, among other things, the Packers had “planted” inaccurate stories about him and that “they tried to buy me off to stay retired” – a reference to the reported 10-year, $20-million marketing deal the team offered. Favre also provided specifics of his conversation with McCarthy, in direct violation of the coach’s previously stated wishes.

The Packers believe Favre’s wife, Deanna, and agent, Bus Cook, helped inflame the situation by advising him to speak out and by amplifying the negative rhetoric about the way he was treated by the team. At one point during the meeting with McCarthy on Monday night, Favre fielded a phone call from his wife and had a conversation with her as the coach waited, a source said.

At that point, the coach was already fed up – and he became less inclined to sanitize his thoughts about the situation. As McCarthy mentioned in his news conference Tuesday, when he essentially announced that Favre’s time as a Packer had ended, his role as a team spokesman during the month-long saga had worn on him as well.

“I’m a football coach,” he said Wednesday. “I know (talking to the media) is part of my job description, and I don’t mind doing it, but I have no desire to stand out there and answer all the political questions. I’m going to tell the truth, and that’s that. I’m not going to be politically correct. I’m sick of it.”

He was sick of the whole thing. And because of that, Favre will soon be wearing a Jets uniform.”

Straight from Fox Sports: “Packers trade Favre to Jets. The month-long saga has finally come to an end, with the Packers agreeing to trade their future Hall-of-Fame quarterback to the New York Jets, FOXSports.com first reported Wednesday night. In return, the Packers will receive a conditional fourth-round pick that could end up as high as a first-rounder depending upon how the Jets perform during the 2008 season.”

***Update [8-7-2008]
Brett’s a Jet!

---

***Update [7-29-2008]
The letter of reinstatement has been faxed!

Straight from The Football Wire: “Favre Forces Packers Hand; Faxes Reinstatement Letter
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Brett Favre faxed his letter of reinstatement today. This is the first formal step in his attempt at a comeback.

Put all the talk aside. No more FOX interviews or he said, she said scenarios. The paperwork is in.

This means that Ted Thompson and the Green Bay Packers will have to make a decision on Favre’s future in Green Bay.

The options are as follows:

1. Allow him back on the roster and attend training camp
2. Release him from the team
3. Trade him

It’s to you Mr. Thompson. Have fun moving the most popular player in modern Packers history.”

---

***Update [7-23-2008]

Straight from ESPN: “The Green Bay Packers got busy making phone calls Tuesday to several teams after being encouraged by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to resolve the controversy surrounding quarterback Brett Favre before they begin training camp Sunday, according to league and players union sources.

The Packers exploring trade options for Favre was first reported by the NFL Network.

The commissioner has been briefed by Packers general manager Ted Thompson on the status of the team’s approach with Favre, who has said he wants to play again. Sources said Thompson reaffirmed to the commissioner that the organization wants to “move on” without Favre. Consequently, Goodell encouraged the GM to accelerate the process by surveying teams around the league to determine if there is a trade partner, the sources said.

The commissioner made it clear to Thompson that Favre will be reinstated as an active player if he makes the request, a decision that is forthcoming by Favre.

Goodell also has spoken with Favre, the sources said, telling the veteran passer that he was willing to assist in the process, if necessary.

Several teams in the AFC and NFC confirmed they were contacted by the Packers.

While Favre clearly prefers to play for the Minnesota Vikings, the logical trade partner appears to be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bucs coach Jon Gruden once served as Favre’s position coach in Green Bay and the Bucs have embraced veterans quarterbacks.

The Bucs also have been at a contract impasse with 38-year-old Jeff Garcia, who plans to report to training camp but only after missing a day or two to attend a reunion event with his father. The Bucs say it is an excused absence, but the relationship is strained.

Favre retired in early March, but recently has been having second thoughts about playing in 2008. He has asked to be released from his contract, a request the team has no plans to grant. The team has said it is committed to Aaron Rodgers, Favre’s former understudy, as its quarterback of the future.

Favre’s contractual rights belong to the Packers until his current deal expires after the 2010 season.

Meanwhile, a source told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel on Tuesday that Favre has continued to use a cell phone issued by the Packers, and when the team checked the phone records, they showed “repeated calls to coach Brad Childress and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.”

The Packers filed a tampering charge against the Vikings last week, and while talking to Bevell, his former quarterbacks coach in Green Bay, might not show much, discussions with Minnesota’s head coach may raise red flags.

The Vikings aren’t commenting on the claim.

Green Bay’s players report to training camp on Monday, with the first practice Tuesday.”

---

***Update [7-16-2008]

In yet another douchetastic move… “Favre thinks showing up at Packers camp ‘tempting’”

Straight from ESPN: “MILWAUKEE — Brett Favre says he’s tempted to show up at the Green Bay Packers’ training camp just to call the team’s “bluff.”

In the second part of an interview with Fox News, the 38-year-old quarterback said he knows his arrival in camp would cause a media circus. Packers players are scheduled to report July 27.

“It’s tempting just to, as everyone said, you know, call their bluff or whatever,” Favre said. “I think it’s going to be a circus in itself already, whether I go there, whatever.”

But, Favre added: “I don’t want to go back there just to stick it to them.”

The interview on the show “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren” was broadcast Tuesday night.

Favre, a three-time MVP, said he feels “a little bit” bad for would-be successor Aaron Rodgers and insists he doesn’t want to be a distraction to his teammates. Or are they his former teammates?

“I like my teammates,” Favre said. “I had a lot of fun with them. I have talked to numerous guys throughout this whole ordeal. I wish them the best, I really do. I hold nothing against those guys. We had a lot of fun together. We had, it was an amazing year last year. I don’t want to make it any worse than it is.”

And right now, it’s pretty bad. Favre and the Packers appear headed toward a messy divorce after Favre demanded his release last week.

The decision blindsided the Packers.

“This is an ongoing situation,” team spokesman Jeff Blumb said Tuesday evening. “We’re working through it, and we’re going to do the right thing.”

Team officials have been careful not to criticize Favre, instead laying out a detailed timeline of their offseason dealings with him. The team hopes that fans would understand why the Packers wouldn’t be willing to abandon their offseason plans with Rodgers just because Favre changed his mind.

After retiring in early March, Favre told the Packers he was having second thoughts and was ready to return a few weeks later. General manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy had made plans to take a private plane to Mississippi to seal the deal on Favre’s comeback, only to have him change his mind again and stay retired.”

Lorenzo knows it’s already a media circus and would likely get much worse should he show up to camp, but he doesn’t want to “stick it” to the team or “cause a distraction?” Then why in the hell is he thinking of showing up to camp at all? Perhaps because he’s a media whore and wants as much attention on himself as possible? Does he revel in causing damage to his legacy as well as the Packer organization? What effect does all this have on Rodgers? At least now everyone knows just how much of a cry baby-douche-asshole Favre really is.

---

***Update [7-15-2008]

Read the entire article at ESPN: “MILWAUKEE — Brett Favre finally is speaking for himself: He wants to play but doesn’t feel welcome in Green Bay, so he’s asking to be released.

The quarterback’s first substantial comments about his latest retirement decision reversal came in a Monday interview with Fox News on “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren.”

“OK, you guys have a different path, fine,” Favre said, recalling a June 20 conversation with Packers coach Mike McCarthy. “What does that mean for me? So that means either you give me my helmet, welcome [me] back, or release me, or attempt to trade me. We all know that’s a possibility, but way-out-there possibility.

“And he says, ‘Well, playing here is not an option, but we can’t envision you playing with another team, you know, either.’ And I thought, so basically, I’m not playing for anyone if I choose to come back.”

According to Van Susteren, who spoke to the AP by telephone Monday afternoon, Favre said he was “never fully committed” to retiring and felt pressured by the Packers to make a decision, a notion Packers general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy tried to dispel in an interview with the AP on Saturday.

“Ted always wanted Brett back,” McCarthy said. “We always wanted Brett back.”

The team had no immediate reaction to Favre’s interview Monday.

“We currently have nothing to add on this matter,” a team spokesman said.”

Wow Lorenzo, talk about a dickish move. You don’t feel welcome in Green Bay? I don’t know that I’ve ever seen the level of fanaticism in any other location when it comes to Green Bay and their rabid worship of you Favre! You weren’t committed to retiring; yet that didn’t stop you from signing the papers, or turning on the crocodile tears during your RETIREMENT press conference did it? You’ve been retiring for five years now, when will this gargabe end? It’s really pathetic, and it’s getting old.

---

***Update

Green Bay Packers News says that it’s a second round pick and Chris Simms for Favre to the Bucs.

---

My source, that has secret sources within the Packer organization, says that if Favre comes out of retirement, there is a 95% chance that he will be a Buccaneer this season. The Packers will not release Favre for fear of him joining a team within their division. Supposedly secret talks are already underway discussing details of the trade for Favre to the Bucs.

If Lorenzo comes out of retirement, join the interception watch here.

Straight from ESPN: “The NFL has hired experts to study game footage to determine whether players are displaying street-gang hand signals as part of their on-field celebrations, the Los Angeles Times reports.

“There have been some suspected things we’ve seen,” said Milt Ahlerich, the league’s vice president of security, according to the Times’ report. “When we see it, we quietly jump on it immediately, directly with the team and the player or employee involved to cease and desist. Period.”

Gang signs in pro sports gained a higher profile during the NBA playoffs, when Boston Celtics captain Paul Pierce was fined $25,000 for making “menacing gestures” toward the Atlanta Hawks‘ bench during a game.

“We were always suspicious that [gang-related hand signals] might be happening,” said Mike Pereira, the NFL’s vice president of officiating, according to the report. “But the Paul Pierce thing is what brought it to light. When he was fined … that’s when we said we need to take a look at it and see if we need to be aware of it.”

Ahlerich said he does not believe the problem is widespread, but added that the league has spoken to some players — whom he declined to identify — about their use of hand signals, according to the report.

First-year players were counseled on gangs at the league’s recent rookie symposium, and a video on the dangers of gangs was required viewing for every player in the NFL last year, according to the report.”

Straight from ESPN: “With his family “tugging” on him to play, Brett Favre has an “itch” to come out of retirement and report to training camp with the Green Bay Packers later this month, according to sources close to the team and player.

Favre has communicated his potential desire to coach Mike McCarthy but talks have not advanced to a substantive stage, a Packers source said.

Favre was reached on Wednesday by Mississippi’s Sun Herald newspaper and tried to calm the storm.

“It’s all rumor,” he said of reports that he wants to return.

As for the ensuing media storm surrounding the story, Favre said in a text message to the newspaper: “No reason for it.”

However, Favre’s brother, Scott, said Wednesday night that Brett has been working out and put a return by No. 4 at “50-50.”

“There’s no doubt he can play,” Scott Favre told WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee. “He’s in good shape, he’s working out, we know he can still play, he’s healthy, so, if he did, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

And at least one Packers player has said that Favre hasn’t completely gotten the game out of his system.

On ESPN’s NFL Live, Packers defensive back Al Harris said on Wednesday: “I’ve talked to Brett and I know he has the itch to come back and play. If he will or not, I don’t know. But I know he’s feeling he wants to play.”

When asked how Favre expressed his desire to return, Harris said the quarterback said, “I got the itch.”

The source said the Packers would be reluctant to open the door for Favre because “Brett retired for the right reasons, even though I know his family is tugging on him [to play].”

Another source conceded Favre was “getting the itch” to play football in 2008.

Citing NFL sources, multiple media outlets in Wisconsin reported on Wednesday that Favre or his agent James “Bus” Cook contacted the Packers about returning a few weeks ago and the conversation ended with the quarterback asking for his release. The team reportedly refused his request.

ESPN’s sources said that while Favre asking for his release is a possibility, the situation hasn’t yet reached that stage.

Favre deciding to return does indeed put the Packers in an awkward situation. The entire offseason has been spent preparing Aaron Rodgers to play quarterback to the point where “the offensive scheme has evolved” and, psychologically, closing the door on Favre’s legendary 17-year career.

Favre asking for his release would indicate that he still wants to play but that the Packers aren’t a willing partner. A league official told ESPN that Favre could force a decision by asking the Packers, in writing, to reinstate him to active status. The team would have to comply or release him.”

Straight from East Bay Business Times: “Gamers in California and Washington, D.C., have sued Electronic Arts Inc. over what they call “blatantly anticompetitive conduct” in its football gaming niche.

The suit against Redwood City-based EA (NASDAQ:ERTS) says after early competition in football games between EA and Take-Two Interactive Inc., EA cut the price of its Madden 2005 game from $49.95 to $29.95.

“Electronic Arts could have continued to compete by offering a lower price and/or a higher quality product,” the suit said. “Instead, Electronic Arts quickly entered into a series of exclusive agreements with the only viable sports football associations in the United States: the National Football League, the Arena Football League, and NCAA Football.”

The suit says EA raised the price of Madden 2006 by 70 percent.

The plaintiffs have requested a class action and want restitution and damages for buyers of EA football game since August of 2005.”

Digg Comments

Check out the demo video of the new Backbreaker Football game.

Straight from ESPN: “NFL commissioner Roger Goodell raised the possibility of having a 17th regular-season game as an option to help settle some of the league’s future labor problems.

“We are actually looking at that as one alternative,” Goodell said Tuesday at the NFL owners meeting in Atlanta, the same day that the league’s owners voted unanimously to opt out of their labor deal with the players’ union two years early. “We think that may have an impact on some of the things we would want to talk to the players about. It’s on the table.”

A 17th regular-season game could replace a fourth preseason game and the possibility comes at a time that the league is not satisfied with the quality of the preseason. The league made a presentation to owners about ways to improve the current preseason Tuesday.

Under the current system, most NFL teams play 20 games — four in the preseason and 16 during the regular season. Because of injury concerns to starters, many teams play starters for only a series in the preseason opener and often don’t play starters in the final preseason game.

“We are not satisfied with the quality of the preseason right now,” Goodell said. “We’d like to improve on that.”

By adding a 17th regular-season game, more revenue could be created to help in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. NFL owners voted 32-0 on Tuesday to shorten the collective bargaining agreement with the NFLPA to 2011, with 2010 being played without a salary cap.

“It would create new revenue,” Goodell said. “Our thought process was we might reduce preseason by a game in return for that. Actually, the players would still play the same number of games. It could give us an opportunity to play a higher quality of football.”

Goodell noted that the NFL used to have six preseason games.

“Now, it’s become more of a year-round business,” Goodell said. “Athletes come in better prepared for the season both physically and mentally. Is it necessary to play four preseason games to get the players prepared to play in the regular season?”

For competitive purposes, the ninth home game would alternate between the conferences every other year, should the NFL use the 17th game option.

NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw didn’t seem thrilled with the possibility of playing 17 regular-season games.

“No, it’s great to have more revenue,” Upshaw said. “Any discussion we’ve had with them about playing another game, they’ve always said, they would like to do it, but they don’t want to pay for it. They say, ‘Why should you be concerned, you get 60 percent?’ But we also get paid on games played.

“We’re not going to agree to play an extra game and not get paid for it. That’s what they want us to do,” he said. “That discussion is going to be very short.”"