Vikings tampered with Favre?! If so what is the penalty!

[nickagneta]

The Green Bay Packers have filed tampering charges with the NFL front offices against the Minnesota Vikings for inappropriate discussions with Brett Favre.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3493559

So the NFL doesn't want to talk about it at all.

That seems funny because within 24 hrs after the Jet's confiscating the tape, the league said there would be an investigation and hinted at punishment of lost draft picks if there was something to it.

The Patriots, of course, were penalized $250,000 and a 1st round pick and Belichick $500,000 for basically doing something that gave them little to no advantage in the game and would have been legal had they done the exact same thing only from the area of a league mandated enclosed box area.

The Chicago Bears filed tampering charges against the San Francisco 49ers and the Niners were found guilty of talking with Lance Briggs agent while legalling not having the ability to do so. Briggs resigned with the Bears. So apparently their tampering had as much on field effect as the Pat's videotaping.

The Niners were penalized with a whopping 5th round draft pick and switching picks with the Bears in the third round.

Now if Minny actually did tamper with Favre which has led to all of this turmoil going on in the Packers organization will Minny be penalized more along the lines of new England or San Francisco or somewhere in between.

I happen to think that of the three offenses, that Minnesota's, if found guilty, is the most egregious. The have tampered with, even though he has retired, with a team's starting QB that last year threw for over 4100 yards, threw 28 TDs with only 15 INTs and had a QB rating of 95.5. That doesn't even include the fact that he is one of that team's all time icons and still had a chance to return as that team's QB, no matter what the Packers said behind the scenes.

If another team tampered with Peyton Manning, or Tom Brady, or Tony Romo, or even Eli Manning I would expect the league to drop the hammer on that franchise.

let's see if the commish is truly a heavy handed judge and jury or if he just decided to make a very expensive example of the league's premeir team. If the NFL doesn't fine Minnesota to at least the extent of the Patriots, I will be leading an area wide email and fax and letter complaint campaign into the league offices staing they had an obvious and blatant bias against the Pats and call for the ouster of Goodell based on a lack of impartiality.

It won't do any good but if I can get some pub so that people realize how wronged the Pats were, I will be happy.

[Roy Hobbs]

First, we don't know if the team tampered yet.  I hate the Vikings, but from what I read, Favre called up one of their coaches who he used to play for in Green Bay (and who he now considers a friend) and they talked about something.  To me, that's not tampering.

[nickagneta]

First, we don't know if the team tampered yet.  I hate the Vikings, but from what I read, Favre called up one of their coaches who he used to play for in Green Bay (and who he now considers a friend) and they talked about something.  To me, that's not tampering.

Other reports have Brad Childress talking to favre as well.

Again this is all predicated upon the league finding Minnesota guilty. And no matter how innocent the relationship between Favre and his friend is, if they did indeed discuss Favre coming back and forcing his way out of GB and into Minny then that is tampering.

Green Bay has to have some reasoning behind reporting Minnesota. If Favre spoke about a conversation he had with his friend to a third party and that party reported it back to Green Bay, it could go bad for Minnesota. I don't know what the final decision will be but what I am trying to say is that if they are found guilty, I would like to see exactly how Goodell punishes the Vikings.

If Minnesota has in some way tried to get Favre to force the Packers hands so that he could play next year in Minny, I think that is way worse of an offense than anything the Pats did and that they deserve harsher punishment.

[JSD]

Normally I would rant with you but  I banned myself from talking about the NFL on Celticsblog. I love this community and I don't want my strong opinion to come off jerky. 

But TP for pointing some inconsistencies that I agree with. The only way RG will react harshly is if a large media organization makes a big stink.

Now I'm officially retired from the NFL Forum of Celticsblog.

[spelz]

I don't think there was any tampering.  I feel Green Bay is trying to block any means for the Vikings to gain Favre if they end up releasing him.  There is no way they can afford to carry his salary as a backup qb.  They either need to release him or trade hm.  If the Vikings are found guilty they will belocked by the league from picking him up as a free agent.

[nickagneta]

The Packers have proof of telephone calls between Minnesota Head Coach Brad Childress and Brett Favre as well as to Vikings' offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell on a cell phone issued by the Packers to Favre that he used to make or receive the calls.

Bevell is a friend. How are the phone calls and conversations to Childress explained, especially if the pre-date the time that Favre came forward saying he wanted to play some more and wished to be released to pursue other avenues since the Pack are dedicated to Aaron Rodgers?

And since when does the commissioner get involved in contract problems between a player and his team?

I have lost all respect for Goodell as a commissioner that this league should move forward with. Tightening restrictions on celebrations even further, the heavy handed approach in SpyGate. The uneven penalties to franchises for breaking league rules, and now he is personally interjecting himself into a contract squabble between the Packers and Favre.

What does he do if suddenly Peyton Manning wants a raise and the Colts won't give it to him? Will he then sit down with both sides and urge(wink, wink) the Colts to reassess their stance because he is, after all, Peyton Manning?

Why didn't Goodell stick his nose into the Asante Samuel holdout last year and sit Samuel down and tell him he wasn't worth the money, to forego the holdout and sign the [dang] contract?

Everything this commissioner does is contradictory. He is not consistent or impartial, at least from my point of view.

[Edit] Forgot to credit the source

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3501459

[furball]

This is definitly tampering and Minn needs to lose two draft picks for it.  Last season the 49ers made two 20 second phone calls to Lance Briggs' agent.  An Agent who represents 4 or 5 49ers and a player the Niners just cut (whom they would want to keep tabs on)and the 20 second phone calls obviously means they got his answering service.  They did not persue Briggs once the season ended yet they were found guilty of tampering and docked a draft pick and forced to change draft picks with the Bears (I believe it was thier third round picks). Minn better lose draft picks!!       

[Roy Hobbs]

And since when does the commissioner get involved in contract problems between a player and his team?

I have lost all respect for Goodell as a commissioner that this league should move forward with. Tightening restrictions on celebrations even further, the heavy handed approach in SpyGate. The uneven penalties to franchises for breaking league rules, and now he is personally interjecting himself into a contract squabble between the Packers and Favre.

What does he do if suddenly Peyton Manning wants a raise and the Colts won't give it to him? Will he then sit down with both sides and urge(wink, wink) the Colts to reassess their stance because he is, after all, Peyton Manning?

I'm not sure how I feel about this.  It's unclear about whether Goodell did this on his own, or whether instead contract was initiated by Ted Thompson of the Packers.  Also, Goodell is charged with acting in the best interests of the game, and there are times when mediating highly-visible disputes could be in the league's best interests.  I'm not saying Goodell himself should get involved, but perhaps league-appointed mediators would be a good thing in certain instances.

As for the contact between Favre and the Vikings, I'm curious to see how long the calls between Favre and Childress were, and whether Childress initiated them.  If they're a series of 1 minute phone calls initiated by Favre, I don't see that as a big deal.  If they're longer calls, or calls initiated by Childress, then that certainly falls underneath the umbrella of tampering, and there should be punishment.

[nickagneta]

And since when does the commissioner get involved in contract problems between a player and his team?

I have lost all respect for Goodell as a commissioner that this league should move forward with. Tightening restrictions on celebrations even further, the heavy handed approach in SpyGate. The uneven penalties to franchises for breaking league rules, and now he is personally interjecting himself into a contract squabble between the Packers and Favre.

What does he do if suddenly Peyton Manning wants a raise and the Colts won't give it to him? Will he then sit down with both sides and urge(wink, wink) the Colts to reassess their stance because he is, after all, Peyton Manning?

I'm not sure how I feel about this.  It's unclear about whether Goodell did this on his own, or whether instead contract was initiated by Ted Thompson of the Packers.  Also, Goodell is charged with acting in the best interests of the game, and there are times when mediating highly-visible disputes could be in the league's best interests.  I'm not saying Goodell himself should get involved, but perhaps league-appointed mediators would be a good thing in certain instances.

As for the contact between Favre and the Vikings, I'm curious to see how long the calls between Favre and Childress were, and whether Childress initiated them.  If they're a series of 1 minute phone calls initiated by Favre, I don't see that as a big deal.  If they're longer calls, or calls initiated by Childress, then that certainly falls underneath the umbrella of tampering, and there should be punishment.

This whole fiasco must be putting a great big smile on the face of a Bear's fan!

[iowa plowboy]

I can't figure out if Favre is pompously arrogant or patently stupid.  He can't afford a freaking Tracfone?  Roy, I really don't think it matters how long the calls were.  It's an employee using his employer's property to communicate with competition.  

I lost respect for the guy about 3 years ago when he and Clemens started their narcissistic retire/don't retire whining.  

First, we don't know if the team tampered yet.  I hate the Vikings, but from what I read, Favre called up one of their coaches who he used to play for in Green Bay (and who he now considers a friend) and they talked about something.  To me, that's not tampering.

Maybe not.  But probably.  But you could drive appearance of impropriety through a barn door.  Based on the way he's whining and acting....Maybe something wider than a barn door.

This is exactly the same kind of impropriety that Foster is accused of.

This whole fiasco must be putting a great big smile on the face of a Bear's fan!

If we could banish this pompous fool from the press and the NFL I'd be smiling

[Robb]

I can't figure out if Favre is pompously arrogant or patently stupid.  He can't afford a freaking Tracfone?

I have a hard time figuring it out, too.  I'd like to think pompously arrogant so I could dislike him more, but he seems like he's more patently stupid, you know? 

I can't believe his reasoning for wanting to come back was "They pressured me into retiring."  Yeah right, Brett, a team you just took to one throw from the Super Bowl was pushing you out the door.  If true, I thought this guy was supposed to be tough?  Reminds me of when he laid down for Strahan so he could get the sack record.  He'd rather get negative attention than no attention.

I may not believe in the Madden Curse, but I'm sure hoping for it in Brett's case.

[Redz]

Cheating in football?  Well I NEVER

[Roy Hobbs]

Well, it looks like Favre doesn't have a Green Bay issued cell phone after all.  I'll be curious to see what proof they actually have of the allegations they've made.

If Brett Favre was in fact talking to the Minnesota Vikings, it wasn't on a phone belonging to the Green Bay Packers, according to a report Thursday.

A story in the Green Bay Press-Gazette refutes reports from earlier in the week related to allegations of tampering by the Vikings in pursuit of the disgruntled Packers quarterback.

Citing sources from the NFL and an unnamed person close to Favre, the paper reported the retired-for-now future Hall of Famer does not have a cell phone issued by the Packers. Such an arrangement could have had salary-cap implications that might have drawn league penalties against the club if the arrangement was not spelled out in his contract.

"One-hundred percent, without a doubt, no Packers-issued phone," the source close to Favre told the paper.

In filing tampering charges against the Vikings, the Packers reportedly cited conversations between Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and Favre before the QB's request for his release July 11 and also conversations between Favre and Vikings head coach Brad Childress. Several reports said the Packers' evidence consists of records they have from a phone the team gave Favre.

However, the two sources said Favre's phone isn't paid for by the team. Thus, the Packers shouldn't have access to any of Favre's phone records and will have to rely on the NFL to review the Vikings' phone records in its investigation of the tampering charges.

Link.

[biggs1221]

My personal impression is that Goodell's conduct is dictated by public whims and perceptions. Therefore, even if intelligent, rational people might recognize that the Pats' and Minnesota's "misdeeds" are of similar degree, there is no way Minnesota gets docked any more than a 3rd rounder.

This is because the current "cheating" allegations arent as sexy as the Patriots' situation. In the Patriots scenario the story was spun as "spying" by a singular individual (who is well known, disliked, and envied).  In other words, it was boiled down to something simple that people could get behind.

In the current situation, there is no singular "bad guy" for the public to get riled up against / attribute everything to.  Moreover, no one cares about Minnesota or their coaches, and nothing is as intruiging as "spying."

Moreover, Goodell was inept with his handling of the Pats. Amongst other things, he essentially fueled the situation when it could have been easily diffused.  Presumably, he would have learned from this situation and not play into negative public sentiments again.

[Tnerb02]

The Vikings will probably lose a 7th round pick, but if the Pats did it, they would probably be fined $500000 and lose a 1st or 2nd rounder.