motife
07-24-2008, 05:20 PM
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/sports/packers//297571
GREEN BAY — As the Green Bay Packers continue to make calls to prospective trading partners in hopes of dealing Brett Favre before training camp opens, new evidence has emerged in the team's tampering case against the Minnesota Vikings regarding the semi-retired quarterback.
Two NFL sources said Wednesday that, in addition to cell-phone records of calls between Favre and Minnesota coach Brad Childress and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, the club also claims Favre sent text messages back-and-forth with the two Vikings coaches.
In the aftermath of Favre asking for his outright release July 11, the Packers accused the Vikings of tampering with Favre by engaging in "inappropriate dialogue" with him.
According to an Associated Press report last week, the Packers felt "an investigation of the phone records would show more than 'normal contact' between the Vikings and Favre, even before he formally asked for his release to play for another team."
A league source confirmed previous media reports that Favre was using a Packers-issued cell phone in his alleged communications with Bevell and Childress.
The number of text messages between Favre and the two Vikings coaches would also help prove the Packers' case. However, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless said Wednesday the carrier only keeps the substance of text messages for a brief time and the owners of the phone only have access to the destination numbers of texts sent from the device.
Verizon Wireless is one of the Packers' corporate partners, providing staff phones and sponsoring one of the Lambeau Field entry gates.
"We keep (text messages) for a very short time — days," said David Clevenger, Verizon's executive director of media relations for the Midwest region. "Then, we clean out our computers. We have 68 million customers, and we wouldn't be able to keep all their text messages. We have no reason to do it. There's no way they (the Packers) would be able to go back and pull up what was said (in the texts)."
But, the owners of the phone are able to see where the texts were sent, much like an itemized bill details every call made and received.
"If they own the phone, then they have the right to do that," Clevenger said.
Clevenger also said Verizon only began making text message destination numbers accessible to owners in May.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported NFL security officials were at the Vikings' Winter Park headquarters Wednesday, continuing their investigation into the charges.
While the Star Tribune's sources did not know exactly with whom NFL officials spoke, it's believed Childress and Bevell were questioned.
The NFL arrived at the Vikings' offices only a day before the team was to report to training camp in Mankato, Minn.
The Vikings have remained quiet on the tampering charge since news broke last week.
Owner Zygi Wilf told the Star Tribune last week he wouldn't comment on the Packers' accusation but added, "Let's put it this way, I look forward to the opening game in Green Bay."
The Vikings face the Packers in the regular-season opener Sept. 8 at Lambeau Field, where Favre's No. 4 jersey is scheduled to be retired. ESPN reported Tuesday night that Favre "clearly prefers to play for the Vikings."
However, Tampa Bay is increasingly looking like Favre's destination. Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms told the St. Petersburg Times that general manager Bruce Allen asked him last week how he thought Favre would fare in the Bucs' offense with limited practice time.
"(Allen) asked me questions about Brett Favre," Simms told the paper's NFL reporter, Rick Stroud. "He asked if I felt Brett would be able to come back and be good here if he didn't have a lot of reps in training camp. I said I thought he would but there would have to be some compromise with coach (Jon) Gruden. He'll just want the play called and to drop back and throw it in there.
"But it's something we talked about."
The Bucs run a version of the West Coast offense, and Gruden, a Packers assistant from 1992 through '94, long has admired Favre.
Tampa Bay starter Jeff Garcia, who like Favre is 38, is in the final year of his contract and unhappy about the lack of progress on an extension. The Packers play the Buccaneers Sept. 28 in Tampa.
The Buccaneers have traded for a supposedly-retired quarterback before, acquiring Jake Plummer from Denver last year for a seventh-round pick. Plummer remained retired and never played for the Bucs, who surrendered the pick nonetheless.
An NFL source said Wednesday it's possible Favre will do the same as Plummer and simply not report after the trade is agreed upon.
However, that source said the Packers are actively trying to deal Favre before training camp opens on Monday, which would eliminate the threat of him applying for reinstatement whenever he wanted to and the team having to take him back.
ESPN reported Wednesday that the Packers contacted the Philadelphia Eagles about Favre. Eagles coach Andy Reid was a Packers assistant from 1992-98, and Favre's position coach the final two years.
Commissioner Roger Goodell has also gotten involved, trying to accelerate the trade process to resolve the bitter dispute between Favre and the Packers.
Under that scenario, the Packers would send the rights to Favre, who is on the reserve/retired list, to his new team.
Favre would then have to decide whether he would apply for reinstatement with Goodell's office or simply abandon his unretirement attempt and stay on the sidelines.
The new team would then have the rights to Favre, whose contract is set to expire after the 2010 season.
Grant talks ongoing
Packers vice president of football operations/player finance Russ Ball and running back Ryan Grant's agent, Alan Herman, continued to have substantive conversations Wednesday about a new long-term contract for Grant, and Herman remains optimistic an accord will be reached before players report Sunday.
If a deal doesn't get done in time for Monday's first training-camp practice, though, Grant remains committed to not reporting to camp.
Herman said via e-mail that the two sides continued their talks, which got serious late last week.
Four down, five to go
The Packers announced the signing of three of their nine draft picks Wednesday afternoon before a fourth came to terms as well.
The signing of fifth-round tackle Breno Giacomini, seventh-round quarterback Matt Flynn and seventh-round wide receiver Brett Swain was announced by the club, while fourth-round guard Josh Sitton agreed to a deal as well.
Still unsigned as of Wednesday evening were second-round picks Jordy Nelson, Brian Brohm and Patrick Lee, third-round pick Jermichael Finley and fourth-round pick Jeremy Thompson. General manager Ted Thompson said earlier this week that he expects all nine rookies to be in the fold before Monday's first training-camp practice.
GREEN BAY — As the Green Bay Packers continue to make calls to prospective trading partners in hopes of dealing Brett Favre before training camp opens, new evidence has emerged in the team's tampering case against the Minnesota Vikings regarding the semi-retired quarterback.
Two NFL sources said Wednesday that, in addition to cell-phone records of calls between Favre and Minnesota coach Brad Childress and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, the club also claims Favre sent text messages back-and-forth with the two Vikings coaches.
In the aftermath of Favre asking for his outright release July 11, the Packers accused the Vikings of tampering with Favre by engaging in "inappropriate dialogue" with him.
According to an Associated Press report last week, the Packers felt "an investigation of the phone records would show more than 'normal contact' between the Vikings and Favre, even before he formally asked for his release to play for another team."
A league source confirmed previous media reports that Favre was using a Packers-issued cell phone in his alleged communications with Bevell and Childress.
The number of text messages between Favre and the two Vikings coaches would also help prove the Packers' case. However, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless said Wednesday the carrier only keeps the substance of text messages for a brief time and the owners of the phone only have access to the destination numbers of texts sent from the device.
Verizon Wireless is one of the Packers' corporate partners, providing staff phones and sponsoring one of the Lambeau Field entry gates.
"We keep (text messages) for a very short time — days," said David Clevenger, Verizon's executive director of media relations for the Midwest region. "Then, we clean out our computers. We have 68 million customers, and we wouldn't be able to keep all their text messages. We have no reason to do it. There's no way they (the Packers) would be able to go back and pull up what was said (in the texts)."
But, the owners of the phone are able to see where the texts were sent, much like an itemized bill details every call made and received.
"If they own the phone, then they have the right to do that," Clevenger said.
Clevenger also said Verizon only began making text message destination numbers accessible to owners in May.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported NFL security officials were at the Vikings' Winter Park headquarters Wednesday, continuing their investigation into the charges.
While the Star Tribune's sources did not know exactly with whom NFL officials spoke, it's believed Childress and Bevell were questioned.
The NFL arrived at the Vikings' offices only a day before the team was to report to training camp in Mankato, Minn.
The Vikings have remained quiet on the tampering charge since news broke last week.
Owner Zygi Wilf told the Star Tribune last week he wouldn't comment on the Packers' accusation but added, "Let's put it this way, I look forward to the opening game in Green Bay."
The Vikings face the Packers in the regular-season opener Sept. 8 at Lambeau Field, where Favre's No. 4 jersey is scheduled to be retired. ESPN reported Tuesday night that Favre "clearly prefers to play for the Vikings."
However, Tampa Bay is increasingly looking like Favre's destination. Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms told the St. Petersburg Times that general manager Bruce Allen asked him last week how he thought Favre would fare in the Bucs' offense with limited practice time.
"(Allen) asked me questions about Brett Favre," Simms told the paper's NFL reporter, Rick Stroud. "He asked if I felt Brett would be able to come back and be good here if he didn't have a lot of reps in training camp. I said I thought he would but there would have to be some compromise with coach (Jon) Gruden. He'll just want the play called and to drop back and throw it in there.
"But it's something we talked about."
The Bucs run a version of the West Coast offense, and Gruden, a Packers assistant from 1992 through '94, long has admired Favre.
Tampa Bay starter Jeff Garcia, who like Favre is 38, is in the final year of his contract and unhappy about the lack of progress on an extension. The Packers play the Buccaneers Sept. 28 in Tampa.
The Buccaneers have traded for a supposedly-retired quarterback before, acquiring Jake Plummer from Denver last year for a seventh-round pick. Plummer remained retired and never played for the Bucs, who surrendered the pick nonetheless.
An NFL source said Wednesday it's possible Favre will do the same as Plummer and simply not report after the trade is agreed upon.
However, that source said the Packers are actively trying to deal Favre before training camp opens on Monday, which would eliminate the threat of him applying for reinstatement whenever he wanted to and the team having to take him back.
ESPN reported Wednesday that the Packers contacted the Philadelphia Eagles about Favre. Eagles coach Andy Reid was a Packers assistant from 1992-98, and Favre's position coach the final two years.
Commissioner Roger Goodell has also gotten involved, trying to accelerate the trade process to resolve the bitter dispute between Favre and the Packers.
Under that scenario, the Packers would send the rights to Favre, who is on the reserve/retired list, to his new team.
Favre would then have to decide whether he would apply for reinstatement with Goodell's office or simply abandon his unretirement attempt and stay on the sidelines.
The new team would then have the rights to Favre, whose contract is set to expire after the 2010 season.
Grant talks ongoing
Packers vice president of football operations/player finance Russ Ball and running back Ryan Grant's agent, Alan Herman, continued to have substantive conversations Wednesday about a new long-term contract for Grant, and Herman remains optimistic an accord will be reached before players report Sunday.
If a deal doesn't get done in time for Monday's first training-camp practice, though, Grant remains committed to not reporting to camp.
Herman said via e-mail that the two sides continued their talks, which got serious late last week.
Four down, five to go
The Packers announced the signing of three of their nine draft picks Wednesday afternoon before a fourth came to terms as well.
The signing of fifth-round tackle Breno Giacomini, seventh-round quarterback Matt Flynn and seventh-round wide receiver Brett Swain was announced by the club, while fourth-round guard Josh Sitton agreed to a deal as well.
Still unsigned as of Wednesday evening were second-round picks Jordy Nelson, Brian Brohm and Patrick Lee, third-round pick Jermichael Finley and fourth-round pick Jeremy Thompson. General manager Ted Thompson said earlier this week that he expects all nine rookies to be in the fold before Monday's first training-camp practice.