From the Packers beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

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The Packers general manager said that in late March, he received word from offensive line coach James Campen, a close friend of Favre's, that the quarterback was having strong feelings about coming back from retirement. Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy discussed the possibility of Favre returning and both agreed it was not too late for him to come back.

They sent word to Favre that he was welcome back and that they would fly down to Mississippi to finalize plans for his return. But within days of telling Favre of their plans, Favre called back and said he and wife Deanna had decided to stick with their original decision on retirement.

Thompson went through a time line of events from the end of the NFC Championship Game to last Tuesday when Favre called to ask for his release. He said he visited Favre at his home in Mississippi and in April and Favre did not ask him whether he could return to play for the Packers.

The latest development caught Thompson and McCarthy by surprise and both men were struggling with how to handle a muddled situation.

"There are people out there who I know are anxious and mad and nervous and all those things," Thompson said. "I want people to know that we know that. We're going through the same things. It's gut-wrenching when you think about it. We're struggling to do the right thing. We don't have all the answers.

"It doesn't bother me when people think we picked the wrong guy or we made a personnel decision that wasn't right. But when it gets to something as core value as this, it concerns me that there would be people who would think less of us. That's important to me. It always has been.

"People think I'm stoic and don't care what anybody thinks. Sure I do. If it's something like a draft pick, I'm fine with that. I want people to know that I know fans care so much and we care too. We care about the legacy of the Packers and the legacy of Brett Favre."

"We don't have all the answers."

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Way to stay classy, Brett. NOT.

That's what bugs me so much: He went out a beloved hero and now he's proving himself to be just another selfish, prima-donna jock. It's hard to take.

Also, I want the money I spent on the career retrospective special edition Sports Illustrated back, thank you.