Report Says Favre Was Forced Into Rehab

Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre said he was forced into rehabilitation by the NFL and would not have told the league about his problem with painkillers had he known that would have happened, according to a published report.

Favre said “I’d have never” told the NFL of his Vicodin dependency had he known he would have been forced into drug rehab rather than face a fine of four weeks’ salary, according to Sports Illustrated.

On May 14, Favre began a 46-day stay at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kan.

Favre had always indicated his admittance to the program was voluntary, but Sports Illustrated said the ultimatum came three weeks after he had flown to Chicago to see a group of doctors retained by the NFL to discuss his Vicodin dependency.

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The Carolina Panthers learned Wednesday that Kerry Collins won’t be their starting quarterback Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

“We aren’t going to sacrifice the short term for the length of the season,” Coach Dom Capers said in announcing that Collins’ sprained left knee hasn’t healed enough for him to start.

Collins injured his knee Sept. 8 in the Panthers’ 22-20 victory at New Orleans. His status for next week’s game at Jacksonville is uncertain. Steve Beuerlein will start in place of Collins.

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San Francisco quarterback Steve Young took part in his first full practice since straining his groin Sept. 8 in a 34-0 victory over St. Louis and is expected to start Sunday. Linebacker Gary Plummer, who broke his left wrist in an exhibition against Denver, is also expected to play.

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Cedric Jones re-injured his left eye horsing around with friends three months after undergoing a cornea transplant and a month before the New York Giants made the defensive end the fifth overall pick in the draft.

Gary Wichard, Jones’ agent, confirmed the player injured his eye in March fooling around with friends in Oklahoma, detaching the cornea. It was sewn back in place.

There were conflicting statements from the Giants whether they knew about the March injury, which is appearing more worrisome since Jones acknowledges his eye problem has hurt his play.

Wichard has downplayed Jones’ eye problems, saying the former Oklahoma standout played his entire college career while legally blind in his left eye.

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St. Louis Coach Rich Brooks plans to stick with Steve Walsh as his starting quarterback over rookie Tony Banks. The choice wasn’t a popular one, judging by the results of a recent St. Louis Post-Dispatch poll. Of 2,700 respondents, 57.4% wanted to see Mark Rypien--who’s not even with the team--32.1% wanted Banks and 10.5% wanted Walsh.

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Washington Redskin receiver Michael Westbrook will be sidelined three to six weeks because of a partial tear in the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Westbrook suffered the injury in a collision and fall during the first quarter of Sunday’s 31-10 victory over the Giants. . . . With the NFL trading deadline less than three weeks away, Errict Rhett wants out of Tampa Bay, according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. Tampa Bay General Manager Rich McKay declined comment. . . . Boomer Esiason, who has started 162 of 172 games in his career, didn’t take a snap for the Arizona Cardinals after being demoted to second string. Coach Vince Tobin has named fifth-year pro Kent Graham the starter for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.