Irreconcilable differences. Brett Favre doesn't trust Mike McCarthy, and McCarthy doesn't trust Favre. It's not the first time in NFL history, but the Packers are allowing the personal dislike Favre has for Thompson and McCarthy, and visa versa, turn them into a weaker team. It doesn't make a big difference, but Favre would have made the Packers better on the field in 2008.
Some, if not many, star players would have made the season a living hell for his bosses in this situation. Instead, Favre walked away from the fight for his starting job because the battle would disrupt the team, and potentially the season.
At first I was mad at McCarthy and Thompson for turning their back on Favre. Why can't we just go back to the way it was back in January when Favre was the starting the quarterback on a winning Packer team? But that's what happens with a divorce. Things divide people, and someone that once loved you now can't stand the sight of you. In the end, you can't bring back the past, it's time to walk away and move on.
He said (Mike McCarthy version):
(Has Brett played his last game as a Green Bay Packer?)
There has been no decision made, but that's where we concluded in our conversation, that basically he was not in the right mindset to play here because of all of the things that went on.
He said (Brett Favre version):
“Mike told me, ‘Hey, we're a better team with you on it’ but wanted to know if I have a problem with an open competition,” Favre told ESPN. “I don't have a problem with competing – you know that, but Aaron should be the starter right now because he's been out here all this time. This is more than about an open competition, and I can do that, absolutely, but this is going to be mass confusion (if there’s a competition) and that's not good for this team.
“I'll practice my butt off, if it comes to that, and I think we all know what the end result will be, but this probably isn't going to work. And I truly understand that if I was in Mike's shoes, I'd see it basically the same way he sees it, I'm sure. And I think if he was in my shoes, he'd see it my way. I think we both agree on that. They want to know if I'm committed, but I want to know if they're 100 percent committed. The problem is that there's been a lot of damage done and I can't forget it. Stuff has been said, stories planted, that just aren't true. Can I get over all that? I doubt it.”
The final straw, he said, came when the team “tried to buy me off to stay retired,” a reference to the $20 million marketing agreement Murphy offered.