GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Some people will have trouble letting go. The fans who showed up at the Green Bay Packers' training camp Tuesday, hoping for another glimpse of their hero. The reporters who repeatedly asked coach Mike McCarthy if the relationship could be patched up, even after McCarthy made clear it could not.
Like it or not, Brett Favre will never appear in a Packers uniform again. It wasn't hard to distinguish that point from McCarthy's nearly half-hour news conference here Tuesday.
Favre is part of the team's 80-man roster and could remain there for a while as team officials consider trade possibilities. But Tuesday, the team finally reached the most important crossroads in this long-simmering dispute: Faced with forcing a conflicted quarterback into an awkward situation, a scenario that threatened team chemistry and guaranteed a debilitating distraction, the Packers determined Favre is best-suited on another team's roster if he insists on playing in 2008.
The Packers wasted several months before reaching that milestone and ultimately were unable to successfully "sit" on the situation. They couldn't decide what was better: Having a potentially disruptive force on their roster or facing the backlash -- both in the public and from a competitive perspective -- of allowing him to go elsewhere. So they tried doing nothing and hoped Favre would give up.
When Favre followed through on his threat to report to training camp, McCarthy chose to protect team chemistry. And as a result, the worst of the storm has passed.
The issue, technically, will hang over the team until Favre is traded -- or, possibly, released. But the Packers can now rest comfortably knowing it will be one of those options. They know they will not have to face a circus on the practice field. Aaron Rodgers knows he won't have to compete with Favre for the starting job. And a weary locker room has now been relieved of balancing their public support for Rodgers with their long-term respect for Favre.
"I'm not doing the PR thing anymore," McCarthy said. "I'm coaching the football team. The football team has moved forward. The train has left the station, whatever analogy you want."
Although he has praised players for keeping focused, McCarthy admits the situation has taken its toll. Defensive end Aaron Kampman was the first to express hope for a quick resolution -- and that was nearly a week ago.
"The players want it resolved," McCarthy said. "And you can talk to Brett about it. He feels bad about it. It's time for them to talk about somebody else, and we talked about that as a football team. We're a good football team, and we have an excellent opportunity to be a very good football team in 2008. We've had an extraordinary challenge dealing with this situation. A lot can be learned from it. But they definitely want this thing resolved as soon as possible."
Some people believe the Packers will emerge from this turmoil a better team -- tougher and better able to deal with distractions. It could conceivably happen -- but suffice it to say, there are more efficient ways to cultivate a focused football team.
Tuesday night, however, one thing was clear: The worst of it is over.
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