Packers just saying ‘no’ to Favre

Green Bay Packers officials don’t plan to grant Brett Favre’s request for release and remain committed to Aaron Rodgers as their starter, even if Favre returns to the team.

Coach Mike McCarthy and General Manager Ted Thompson told the Associated Press that they were set to bring Favre back in late March, when he reversed course for the first time weeks after announcing his retirement.

In their first public comments since Favre demanded his release last week, Thompson and McCarthy said Favre changed his mind again as they were about to fly to Mississippi to seal the deal.

Favre seemed unsure whether he was completely committed to football until several days ago, they said.

“We’ve communicated that to Brett, that we have since moved forward,” Thompson said. “At the same time, we’ve never said that there couldn’t be some role that he might play here. But I would understand his point that he would want to play.”

A message left by the AP with Favre’s agent, Bus Cook, was not immediately returned.

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

Favre held a tearful news conference to announce his retirement March 6. Through Packers offensive line coach James Campen, a friend of Favre’s, Thompson and McCarthy heard a few weeks later that Favre was having second thoughts.

After several telephone discussions with Favre led them to believe he wanted to return, Thompson and McCarthy were preparing to board a private plane. Then Favre suddenly called McCarthy.

“He said he appreciated all the planning we were going to do,” McCarthy said. “But he felt that at this point, he had reached a point of closure, to use his words, and he was going to stick with his initial decision.”

Even after the March episode, McCarthy and Thompson said they regularly communicated with Favre. Thompson even went to Mississippi to visit Favre in May, and didn’t get the sense Favre was having serious thoughts about playing again.

But the tone changed dramatically in June, when Campen said he was getting worried about Favre. McCarthy said he had a phone conversation with Favre on June 20, and the coach said the quarterback sent a clear message: “Give me my helmet or give me my release.”

Next came a now-infamous text message exchange between Thompson and Favre on July 4. At the time, Thompson didn’t think it was a big deal that he wrote Favre back saying he was traveling and asked if they could talk Monday.

But then Thompson began getting texts from Cook. Sensing rising tension, Thompson and McCarthy agreed to a conference call with Favre and Cook on Tuesday.

Only then, McCarthy said, did Favre say he was 100% committed to playing.