UPDATE: Favre's Return to the Packers

(From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

Favre return making things messy for Thompson

By Tom Silverstein
Saturday, Jul 12 2008, 02:36 PM

Green Bay -- Refusing to rule out the possibility of Brett Favre playing for the Green Bay Packers this season but at the same time reiterating that Aaron Rodgers is currently his starter, general manager Ted Thompson admitted during a half-hour interview Saturday that he was dealing with a messy situation.

Thompson, who agreed to conduct interviews with several local media outlets, did not publicly dissuade Favre from filing reinstatement papers and did not go as far as saying there was no way he would play for the Packers this season. But he said he could not answer whether there would be an opportunity for Favre to get his starting position back with the Packers if he chose to return.

"We have to go with what's real," Thompson said. "We don't know what the options are right now. We'll talk about it internally. It's all guess work.

"This is a very difficult spot we're in. It's a very volatile situation and we don't have all the answers yet."

Asked if there was a chance Favre could be on his roster this year, Thompson said, "Sure."

As a starter?

"I don't know how to answer that," he said. "We have moved forward. So we'll see where it goes."

Asked if he was concerned that Rodgers would wash his hands of the Packers after his contract is up were he stripped of his starting job at the start of training camp, Thompson said, "We'll deal with that when it comes up."

Then he said, "Aaron Rodgers is our starting quarterback."

Thompson declined to answer which quarterback gives the Packers the best chance to go to the Super Bowl.

Greg Aiello, an NFL spokesman, said he was not aware whether Favre had officially petitioned NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for reinstatement. Goodell is in Afghanistan.

Thompson admitted that anything could happen between now and the start of training camp and that though the team will discuss the possibility of Favre coming back, it will do nothing until Favre signs reinstatement papers. Though Favre has made it clear he wants to come back, he has not officially informed the Packers at anytime this off-season that he wants to play for the Packers again, Thompson said.

The Packers general manager said that in late March, he received word from offensive line coach James Campen, a close friend of Favre's, that the quarterback was having strong feelings about coming back from retirement. Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy discussed the possibility of Favre returning and both agreed it was not too late for him to come back.

They sent word to Favre that he was welcome back and that they would fly down to Mississippi to finalize plans for his return. But within days of telling Favre of their plans, Favre called back and said he and wife Deanna had decided to stick with their original decision on retirement.

Thompson went through a time line of events from the end of the NFC Championship Game to last Tuesday when Favre called to ask for his release. He said he visited Favre at his home in Mississippi and in April and Favre did not ask him whether he could return to play for the Packers.

The latest development caught Thompson and McCarthy by surprise and both men were struggling with how to handle a muddled situation.

"There are people out there who I know are anxious and mad and nervous and all those things," Thompson said. "I want people to know that we know that. We're going through the same things. It's gut-wrenching when you think about it. We're struggling to do the right thing. We don't have all the answers.

"It doesn't bother me when people think we picked the wrong guy or we made a personnel decision that wasn't right. But when it gets to something as core value as this, it concerns me that there would be people who would think less of us. That's important to me. It always has been.

"People think I'm stoic and don't care what anybody thinks. Sure I do. If it's something like a draft pick, I'm fine with that. I want people to know that I know fans care so much and we care too. We care about the legacy of the Packers and the legacy of Brett Favre."

"We don't have all the answers."