Favre still needs to unretire
Published 11:33 pm Friday, July 25, 2008
MILWAUKEE — If Brett Favre plans to show for the Green Bay Packers’ training camp, he’ll need permission from the NFL. And as of Friday evening, he had not petitioned the league for reinstatement.
NFL spokesman Randall Liu said the league did not receive a letter from Favre on Friday. The step is considered a formality, but an important one: Favre can’t return until commissioner Roger Goodell receives and approves the request.
The NFL Network reported earlier Friday that Favre told Packers general manager Ted Thompson he plans to report to training camp, a move perhaps designed to force the team to quickly trade the three-time MVP.
Speculation on a potential new home for Favre has centered on Tampa Bay, but the New York Jets also emerged as a potential trade partner for the Packers. Jets quarterback Chad Pennington said general manager Mike Tannenbaum told him the team has talked to the Packers.
Pennington, who already is competing with Kellen Clemens for the starting job in Jets camp, said he wasn’t overreacting to the Jets’ potential trade for Favre.
“My whole focus is on this camp,” Pennington said. “Winning this starting quarterback battle, so I don’t really have any thoughts. It’s part of the business: speculation, calls, one organization calling another about players. There’s nothing to be said. As a player, you never react until it’s actually done.”
If Favre follows through with his intention to show up to camp, he would likely become an even bigger distraction to a team that’s spent the past several offseasons dealing with his constant waffling on whether to retire.
Packers players are scheduled to move into their dorm rooms today, and their first team meeting is scheduled for Sunday morning. Their first practice is Monday morning.
Once Favre’s request to be reinstated is approved by the commissioner, the Packers must place him on their active roster or release him. The team has no plans to release Favre.
