Favre's reported leaks to Lions not against rules

[Patriots Game]

October 20, 2008

Associated Press
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- If Brett Favre really did leak inside information about the Green Bay Packers' offense to help the Detroit Lions beat his former team last month, the three-time MVP's reputation among his fans in Wisconsin would likely take a hit.
But he -- and the Lions coaches who reportedly took his call -- wouldn't have broken any NFL rules.
"We do not have a comment," league spokesman Greg Aiello said in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Monday morning. "Even if it were true, there would be no violation of league rules."
Foxsports.com reported Sunday that Favre called the Lions before their Sept. 14 game against the Packers and spent more than an hour giving coaches information on nuances of the offense he used to run.
If true, Favre wasn't much help. The Packers beat the Lions 48-25.
Favre, traded to the New York Jets after a prolonged, ugly split with the Packers' front office this summer, was not asked about the report after the Jets' loss at Oakland on Sunday. But in a text message to an NBC reporter before the Seahawks-Buccaneers prime-time game, Favre strongly denied it.
Lions coach Rod Marinelli didn't issue a similar denial, saying only that he had no comment.
After calling the situation "disappointing" and declining further comment Sunday night, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Monday that the team wasn't seeking any recourse against Favre.
"I'm not going to do anything about it," McCarthy said. "I have no comment."
The idea that a player might be willing to spill secrets about his old team certainly isn't new in NFL circles. It's almost expected that when a player leaves one team and joins another, he will share inside information with his new coaches -- especially if they were preparing to play against his old team.
So if Favre shared information about the Packers with his new coaches in New York, there wouldn't have been much of an outcry in Green Bay.
But the notion of Favre possibly reaching out, unsolicited, to offer a scouting report of the Packers to a team he doesn't play for didn't sit well with at least one former teammate.
"He contacted them? I don't respect that," cornerback Charles Woodson said after the Packers' victory over Indianapolis on Sunday. "If they call him and he gives them information, that's one thing. But to seek a team out and to feel like you're trying to sabotage this team, I don't respect that. I know he's been the greatest player around here for a long time, but there's no honor in that."
If such actions aren't considered out of bounds, Woodson said they should be.
"I've never called a coach on another team and told them what's going to happen," Woodson said. "It is what it is. Obviously he says he wasn't bitter about what happened, but obviously there is a little bit of resentment there."
Packers wide receiver Ruvell Martin shared Woodson's concern.
"If it's true, then you've got to question motives," Martin said. "I don't know what to say."
But Martin downplayed the actual damage leaked inside information could do to a team.
"In my opinion, there's not too much you can gain," Martin said. "You can give them our hand signals, (but) those are on tape already. If we find out you've got our hand signals, we try to find a way (around it)."
Packers center Scott Wells said it would be "disappointing" if Favre shared information with a division rival, but noted the Packers ended up beating the Lions anyway.
"Obviously it didn't work out too well for them," Wells said. "We were still able to go out and move the ball on them and win the game."
Other Packers wouldn't touch the subject. "I'd rather not know what it is and not comment on it," said wide receiver Donald Driver, a close friend of Favre's.

[cuse_man]

jahred just wet his pants

[Steel]

It may not be against the rules but the guy is a phuck stick and everyone in the league now knows what a loser he really is. Complete loser and he will never be looked at the same by his peers. Total loser !!!

[be47320]

Originally Posted by Steel

It may not be against the rules but the guy is a phuck stick and everyone in the league now knows what a loser he really is. Complete loser and he will never be looked at the same by his peers. Total loser !!!

so, is he a loser or not?

[MR_MJ]

Originally Posted by be47320

so, is he a loser or not?

I just saw Favre's press conference.

I believe him...it's been misreported and overblown.

He did not make the call to Millen...or Romo for that matter.

[Jahred]

i dont like favre, but this is getting to be too much drama now.

you guys realize how many books about favre are going to come out about this years from now? lo

guaruantee a movie comes out before 2020

[Steel]

Originally Posted by MR_MJ

I just saw Favre's press conference.

I believe him...it's been misreported and overblown.

He did not make the call to Millen...or Romo for that matter.

I would like to believe that your are correct but to many things point to him being the baby that he has shown all of us over the last 6 months. First he said he never talked to Millen and now he says he did. He appears to be blaming everything on other people just as he did with his dealings with the Packers. Brett farve has always been all about himself that is very evident in the way he has carried himself on and off the field. He really showed that side when he put the packers in the position they were in earlier in the year. Sooner or later people need to start looking at him differently. Is he a good QB, very good, but as a person he suffers from a disease I call "ME WORLD". Do the math, the Packers gave him 30 million dollars when he left their organization and this is how he is repaying them. So while some may still think he is innocent, I say you need to take your brett farve glasses off. The guy is pre-madonna that thinks the NFL revolves around him. He got mad because he did not see the packers winning and now that they are he is trying to ruin the chance of winning more games. Around the league he will be known as a baby and person that can't be trusted. He will also be held accountable for his actions by everyone he deals with from here on out. Good QB but a horrible person.

[cuse_man]

I agree with MJ... Some people just look for things to get all excited about so they try to dig up reasons that are not there to support the argument.