Favre must’ve left wrong note on night stand for ESPN
He's retired! He's a Jet! He's retired! He's a Viking! Or is he? (NYT photo)
You would think that with so many ESPN football reporters sharing a room with Brett Favre, the network would get a story right. But no.
The unofficial Favre Sports Network reported earlier this week that the Minnesota Vikings had given Favre a deadline to make up his mind about whether he wanted to come back. Then when Favre was a no-show Tuesday for organized training activities (OTAs), ESPN amended that and followed with another story, attributed to “team and league sources,” that the Vikes were cooling their pursuit of the NFL’s Hamlet of quarterbacks.
Guess what? They may have gone 0 for 2.
Minnesota coach Brad Childress — and I think we can trust him — told Minneapolis radio station WFAN Wednesday morning of the reported deadline: “Absolutely not. Maybe by [Favre’s wife] Deanna or somebody like that, but certainly not from me. Not even close. Don’t know where that would have dropped out of the sky from.”
Childress then took a shot at ESPN, saying: “I don’t know how you guys in that industry go about your sourcing, ‘a source says that a source says,’ I don’t know, it’s questionable, very questionable.”
Kudos to Childress. For what it’s worth, I’ve never been a fan of unnamed sources, except in unusual circumstances. Fact is, it makes for lazy reporting. But the bigger issue to me is: Why even go to the extreme of pursuing unnamed sources for whether Brett Favre will play again? I’m sorry, is this Watergate.
Childress conveyed that he still has an interest in Favre (which I don’t agree with). And he isn’t concerned about how it might affect Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels (which I don’t agree with). And he said he doesn’t have a time table (which I don’t agree with).
But I did like this: When asked why the Vikings have not clarified more about this Favre situation, Childress said: “I really don’t clarify things that are incorrect because I literally could stand at a press conference all day long and clarify. It’s really not my job to comment on erroneous things. I don’t have time to do that. I can sit and laugh at it and wonder how responsible that is. I simply don’t have time to do that. I’m on my way driving into work here so I’m captured here but when I get done with this I’m done.”
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22 comments Add your comment
rhynster
June 10th, 2009
11:34 am
Love your columns everytime, Jeff.
But that should be a question mark after “Watergate”.
rhynster
June 10th, 2009
11:35 am
…and blogs.
Smoothie
June 10th, 2009
11:42 am
I wish Favre would do us all a favor and retire already!! He couldn’t get it done in NY, what makes him think he’ll do any better in Minny? Their receivers are even worse than what he had in NY!
Jeff Schultz
June 10th, 2009
11:56 am
Thank: Rhynster.
Smoothie: I just don’t think he can throw anymore. But my biggest issue is he’s become a cartoon character. I wouldn’t want him in the locker room.
PMC
June 10th, 2009
12:00 pm
I think one issue is the tabloid papparazzi nature of some of the search engine sports pages.
Unnamed source is the guy wearing the tinfoil hat screaming about the NBA conspiracy that took The Big Ticket from Minnesota.
Smoothie
June 10th, 2009
12:03 pm
Jeff, couldn’t agree more! You had your time Brett, it’s time to hang ‘em up and become a farmer!
PMC
June 10th, 2009
12:04 pm
Farve wasn’t good enough to take his really good team at the time Packers to the Super Bowl. It was HIS THROW that took them out of the NFC championship. Then he retired and unretired and then was SHOCKED that they didn’t wait for him. Um. Brett, you proved that you WEREN’T good enough to take even a GOOD TEAM to the playoffs anymore. This is why I don’t understand Brad Childress even being interested, other than that he’s got virtually nothing at QB right now. He should be more concerned with Star Caps than BF’s shoulder at this point. Just make sure Jackson gets that center exchange handoff working.
poopdawg
June 10th, 2009
12:28 pm
Schultz and Smoothie, your both goobers that are still pissed about being last round draft picks in kickball back in 5th grade. Get over it. Farve would be a huge asset in the locker room, and if his arm heals could take the vikings to the superbowl.
bucksnmuskys
June 10th, 2009
12:42 pm
I agree with the poopdawg. I believe if Favre is healthy, he would be a tremendous asset to the team. Members of the Vikings have already commented on that several times. I am tired of media making news and not simply reporting the news. Great article.
Jeff Schultz
June 10th, 2009
12:58 pm
PMC — I heard the National Enquirer pays well. Hmmm. Just not sure I want to hide out in dumpsters.
Poopdawg — I went undrafted actually but I made out better in free agency.
Robards
June 10th, 2009
1:01 pm
Among Sage, Jackson and Favre, the best of the bunch in 2009 is Sage. Childress should go ahead and name him as the starter. Favre can go back to Mississippi and ride his tractor. Whenever he feels the need for attention, Brett can text Peter King or Mort with his latest thoughts, which will then be reported in MMQB or on ESPN.
tyler meyer
June 10th, 2009
1:35 pm
Smoothie how dare u say that the jets have got a better recieving core then the vikings all they have are no names and the vikings have percy harvin, Bernard Berrian, and with a healthy sidney rice the vikings could be one of the best passing teams in the league if we get brett favre
STAN JAMES
June 10th, 2009
1:41 pm
I THINK IT IS GREENBAY PACKER BRASS THAT IS PLANTING THESE UN NAMED SOURCES ON FAVRE ALL THE TIME REMEMBER LAST YEAR WHEN PACKERS SAID FAVRE WAS TALKING TO VIKINGS ON PACKER ISSUED CELL PHONE.HOW COME NONE OF YOU SO CALLED JOURNALIST NEVER CALLED THE PACKERS OUT ON THAT LIE.I KNOW THERE IS A SOME FOLKS THAT DOESNT WANT FAVRE TO COME BACK AND THE MAIN PERSON IS TED THE DRAFT GURU THOMPSON.TED KNOWS THAT IT IS NOT REVENGE THAT FAVRE IS AFTER IT IS A RECKONING THAT HE IS AFTER.FAVRE-4-EVER
Southside Falcon
June 10th, 2009
2:23 pm
Farve is a spoiled diva that all you fans of his feed into his ego. He has one ring like 13 years ago. He is holding teams hostage and HE was the reason he got kicked out of greenbay. He has been doing it for like 6yrs and Fran Tarkenton was right. Hang it up go home you have had your fun, let us go on in our football universe. The most td and interceptions in league history let you run fast in loose
The Dude
June 10th, 2009
2:32 pm
I think it’s pretty silly to get worked up about what happens, either way. Who cares what Brett Favre does?
Karl Childers
June 10th, 2009
2:35 pm
Dat Farve feller should just stay on his farm and eat potted meat…
mmmmmmmmmmmmm………….
Ted Striker
June 10th, 2009
2:38 pm
Jack Bauer needs to say to Brett Favre something like he said to Tony Almeida in early Season 7.
“So help me God I will (retire) you and you will STAY (retired) this time!”
The Dude
June 10th, 2009
2:49 pm
Obviously Favre picked the wrong day to quit football, right Ted?
Ted Striker
June 10th, 2009
3:46 pm
Surely, he did, Dude.
Atlanta Journal Constitution » Blog Archive » Favre must’ve left wrong note on night stand for ESPN
June 10th, 2009
5:28 pm
[...] Jeff Schultz | ajc.com – [...]
Notre Don't
June 10th, 2009
5:50 pm
JS…Grrrrrreat swipe at the World Wide Leader (at being total slaps). They know so and do so little in the world of reporting. Also, no Obama references, so you’re doing really, really good on that front, too. Other jobs for Farve:
1.) Ms California
2.) Chirs Breman’s comb over hair professional (his hairline has been going back, back, back, back for some time)
3.) Shower saftey for John Clayton…making sure he doesn’t fall down the drain
4.) New “Just for Men” beard color guy…Emmitt Smith stinks at that, too
5.) Wrangler underwear spokeman…for some reason, that brand isn’t selling too well
ViewofLambeau
June 10th, 2009
6:41 pm
Regarding poopdawg’s comment about Favre being an “asset to the locker room”, I had to chuckle because you should know that Favre doesn’t share a locker room with the rest of the team. He had his own in GB, as well as his own parking space, that now the coach can actually use. I just wish Favre could have sucked it up and fought for his position in GB. Envy is green and now revenge may be purple. So sad……