Packers players fed up with Favre saga
Wednesday, August 6, 2008 9:57 AM PDT
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Fans chanting ‘‘Bring Back Brett!’’ distracted them during practice on Tuesday. Well before that, the constant media questions were wearing thin on them.
Green Bay Packers players have had it up to here with the Brett Favre saga. And as Favre Fatigue sets in, they’re sending a clear message to the team’s front office:
‘‘It’s time for it to be over,’’ cornerback Charles Woodson said. ‘‘It’s gone on long enough.’’
As the league’s longest-running daytime drama continues to twist and turn, Woodson and other veteran Packers players aren’t publicly assessing blame or taking sides. They just don’t want to talk or think about it any more.
‘‘For them to keep us in the dark and just have us answering a bunch of questions that we can’t possibly have a good answer for, I don’t think it’s fair to us,’’ Woodson said. ‘‘I think there needs to be something said, yea or nay for Brett Favre.’’
That answer — a resounding ‘‘nay’’ — came Tuesday evening, when Packers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters that after extensive conversations with Favre over the past two days, he has determined that Favre doesn’t have the right mindset to play for the Packers.
Still, the issue will linger until there is a final resolution. That most likely would be a trade, perhaps to Tampa Bay, something that appeared to be simmering but not imminent as of late Tuesday evening.
So the questions kept coming, and the players kept sighing.
‘‘It’s to the point now, man, we’re tired of it here in the locker room, just hearing about it,’’ cornerback Al Harris said.
McCarthy has praised his players’ ability to stay focused throughout the team’s showdown with Favre, but acknowledged Tuesday that it could take a toll on the team.
‘‘We have an excellent opportunity here to be a very good football team in 2008,’’ McCarthy said. ‘‘We’ve had an extraordinary challenge dealing with this situation, a lot can be learned from it, but they definitely want this thing resolved as soon as possible.’’
