Fan Pulse: Vikings fans burning up over tampering accusation

By Neal Coolong  |   Friday, July 18, 2008  |  Comments( 5 )

Minnesota Vikings
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If football fans have learned anything this offseason, it's the ambiguity behind the NFL's tampering rules.

No one is discussing it more fervently than the fans of the Minnesota Vikings. While their team isn't making a public comment on the tampering charges arch-rival Green Bay filed against the club, Purple Pride is burning with fans posting on the topic.

Brett Favre announced his retirement, and the Packers put him on the retired/reserve list; however, Favre never signed his retirement paperwork. Either way, he is still under contract with the Packers, and any communication between him and another team is forbidden. This is difficult to prove, but Pro Football Talk reports it has sources who are confirming Favre's Packers-owned cell phone records show calls made between Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and even head coach Brad Childress with Favre.

One poster digs right at the heart of the issue in a roundabout way.

"The league needs to change the rules for if you announce your retirement in a press conference you need to sign the papers right there."

Favre's rights would still be owned by the Packers until his contract expires, but the issue comes down to whether the Packers have substantial evidence to prove such a charge. Bevell was once Favre's quarterback coach, and it's not against the rules for the two to have spoken. It's also hard to swallow the theory that the topic wouldn't have been discussed if the two did have a conversation. One poster things Packers GM Ted Thompson is paranoid.

"If I were [general manager Ted] Thompson, I wouldn't take any chances. It's probably just a matter of hours before he files tampering charges against the Chicago Bears."

The charge in and of itself seems to be a calculated move by Thompson. Whether the Packers can prove it doesn't hold as much value as the action the NFL is now forced to take in the matter. Teams found guilty of tampering with a player lose the rights to add that player to the roster tat season. The Favre vs. Green Bay standoff has become the news of the offseason, and one poster sees it being a Packers romp.

"Right now, the score is something like Green Bay Packers 35, Brett Favre 3. It's a rout...."
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About Neal Coolong

Neal Coolong is a freelance sports writer with contributions to Scout.com, AOL and Steelers Live. He lives with his fiance in St. Paul, Minn., and saves every dime (that she knows about) for their wedding next June. He's already made the prediction that the Steelers 2007 draft class will be one...
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CommentsComments: 5  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
zippy916		02:04 PM
07/18/2008
Tampering, I say if the player retired and is still listed as such...anyone can talk to him about anytihng they want to. That...
No.2
franziski		06:38 PM
07/19/2008
Every team in the league does it in one form or another. A friend of a friend, a current player, the agent, organizations use...
No.3
11:10 PM
07/24/2008
I don't know how I feel about this whole situation. I just don't think Favre should even go play for Minnesota no matter how bad...
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