By Dan Arkush
July 17, 2008

As first reported by FoxSports.com, multiple media outlets have confirmed that the Packers have filed a tampering charge against the division-rival Vikings for allegedly communicating with retired Packers QB Brett Favre, presumably with the intention of feeling him out about the possibility of coming out of retirement to play in Minnesota. According to FoxSports.com’s Jay Glazer, Favre has been having “inappropriate” conversations with Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, a close friend and former assistant coach with the Packers. The Fox report also said the Vikings were informed of the charge last week. Both the Packers and league office have declined to comment on the report.     

The PFW spin

One would think there might be an end in sight to the twists and turns that keep breathlessly occurring in the Brett Favre soap opera. But the Favre intrigue just keeps building, with the inference, in effect, by the Packers that Favre and his agent, James “Bus” Cook, might have been in the process of orchestrating a deal behind the scenes with the Vikings for a while now, although it’s hard to imagine that Favre and Cook would think for a second that, even if the Packers did agree to release Favre, the team would allow him to play for another team in the NFC North — especially a Vikings team that many think is just one proven QB away from becoming a serious Super Bowl contender.

The tampering charge now only serves to make the Packers’ steadily deteriorating relationship with Favre even more contentious, in addition to increasing the bad blood that already exists between the Packers and Vikings. It’s also worth noting that the Packers are treading on tricky ground in regard to the tampering charge, which threatens to further open the Pandora’s box that first materialized when the league office ordered the Niners to forfeit a 2008 fifth-round draft choice and swap places with the Bears in the third round after the Bears had charged the 49ers with tampering in their pursuit of OLB Lance Briggs. One imagines nobody will be more interested in how the league handles this latest tampering charge than Niners GM Scot McCloughan, who is still privately stewing over the raw deal he believes his team received in the Briggs incident.

It will also be very interesting to see what kind of hard evidence the Packers have at their disposal. There is nothing illegal, it would seem, about casual conversations between close friends, which is all that Favre and Bevell might have been engaged in. In the meantime, front-office people and coaching staffs leaguewide need to tread very carefully regarding any potential moves involving Favre. For instance, the Tampa Tribune reported yesterday that Buccaneers GM Bruce Allen might have had dinner with Favre this past Monday evening, a claim Allen couldn’t have more quickly and vehemently denied.