Favre now expected to attend Packers minicamp
Wed, May 16, 2007By Associated Press
MILWAUKEE -- Packers quarterback Brett Favre has changed his mind and now is expected to attend the team's mandatory minicamp this weekend, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday.
SPORTSBETTING.com have the Packers listed at +450 to win the NFC North division next season.
The person, who requested anonymity because neither side planned to officially announce Favre's intention to attend, said Favre is now expected to be present when the three-day minicamp opens in Green Bay on Friday.
On Tuesday, Favre told the Biloxi (Miss.) Sun-Herald that because he is unable to practice while recovering from offseason ankle surgery, he planned on staying home in Mississippi to assist in preparations for his daughter's upcoming high school graduation.
''They were going to have me sit out anyway,'' Favre said Tuesday. ''To be honest, we have (daughter) Brittany graduating in two weeks. Instead of going up there and not doing anything, I will be better off being at home because of graduation parties and banquets.''
At the time, Favre said the decision was not related to his frustration with the team's unwillingness to complete a trade for wide receiver Randy Moss.
''I am frustrated,'' Favre told the paper. ''But being frustrated and not going are not related.''
It was not immediately clear why Favre changed his mind, but his decision to attend minicamp will spare Packers coach Mike McCarthy having to deal with what could have become a tense situation.
If McCarthy had refused to excuse Favre's absence from the mandatory minicamp and fined him, he would have risked agitating the three-time MVP. But if McCarthy had formally excused Favre from minicamp, he might have angered other players who put aside their own family commitments to attend the minicamp.
Favre set off what has become a weeklong controversy when he spent Saturday grousing about the Packers' front office and its inability to complete a trade for Moss in a handful of interviews conducted at his charity golf tournament in Tunica, Miss.
On Sunday, Fox Sports' Web site reported that Favre's agent requested a trade shortly after the Packers failed to land Moss during the NFL draft last month. Moss instead was traded from Oakland to New England.
Favre issued a statement through the team on Monday saying he didn't want to be traded.
''I was frustrated a couple weeks back when Randy Moss was traded to New England,'' Favre said. ''I never wanted to be traded and I don't want to be traded. I want to be in Green Bay. I want to finish my career as a Packer. Sometimes when I get frustrated I let my emotions get the better of me.''
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