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Irvin: Walker pays price for Favre's interference
By By Greg Bedard
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 16, 2005
The way Michael Irvin sees it, every NFL fan in America should be talking about Brett Favre.
Not because of his hurricane-relief efforts in his native Mississippi.
And not because he threw two interceptions and posted a 53.3 rating in Green Bay's 17-3 loss to Detroit in Week 1.
Because, Irvin contends, Favre stuck his nose where it didn't belong — and Packers receiver Javon Walker will pay a hefty price for it.
"Now, this is a story here," said Irvin, the former star receiver for the University of Miami and Dallas Cowboys. "This boy (Walker) came back into camp because of Brett Favre. The great Brett Favre. This is not some rookie quarterback calling him out when he was asking for his money. This is the great Brett Favre."
To recap, Walker, on the advice of his Miami-based agent, Drew Rosenhaus, threatened to hold out of training camp because the former Florida State receiver thought the $515,000 he was due to make this season wasn't worth the injury risk. Not after a Pro Bowl season that included 89 catches for 1,382 yards and 12 TDs.
"When you're dealing with a profession where you can be paralyzed or injured at any given time . . . you have to do what's best for you," Walker, 26, said in May on Wisconsin radio station WTLX.
Favre, who discussed retirement before the season, criticized Walker, saying he was "going about this the wrong way."
"Just because you had one good year doesn't give you the right to hold out and put the team in that situation," Favre said.
In the end, Walker reported to camp on time. The teammaes made up. But against the Lions on Sunday, Walker sustained the type of injury he feared — a torn ligament in his right knee that means he will lose the next six to 10 months — and any negotiating leverage.
That, Irvin said, is why Favre was wrong to pressure Walker.
"I love Brett, I appreciate Brett. But Brett should know business is business," said Irvin, who was at Dolphins camp on Thursday for a ESPN feature. "You don't mess with another man's business.
"Now, what do you do, Brett? If I'm Brett, how you can walk in the room when you just did surgery to say, 'Hey, man, I'm sorry this has happened?' How could you do it? How could you look that man in his eyes?"
When asked Wednesday if he regretted his previous comments, Favre said no.
"I feel terrible about what happened because it doesn't help our team any," said Favre, who makes upward of $10 million a year. "But he's young. It's hard for him to believe it right now, but I promise you, he'll come back better. His contract situation will take care of itself. I still think he'll make a lot of money."
Irvin said Favre should have done more to help Walker negotiate — that the quarterback should have been worrying about his teammates and not his bosses.
"Brett called out Javon Walker. I say, 'Why didn't Brett call out Ted Thompson, the GM over at Green Bay?' " Irvin said.
"If he comes out on the air and says, 'Hey, Ted and Javon, you guys get your butts together, man, because we need Javon in here,' then I say, 'Man, that man cares about the football team.' But when you just call out Javon, I say, 'Well, maybe it's the organization you care about.' "
Staff writer Hal Habib contributed to this story.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/content/sports/epaper/2005/09/16/a6b_nflextra_0916.html
By By Greg Bedard
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 16, 2005
The way Michael Irvin sees it, every NFL fan in America should be talking about Brett Favre.
Not because of his hurricane-relief efforts in his native Mississippi.
And not because he threw two interceptions and posted a 53.3 rating in Green Bay's 17-3 loss to Detroit in Week 1.
Because, Irvin contends, Favre stuck his nose where it didn't belong — and Packers receiver Javon Walker will pay a hefty price for it.
"Now, this is a story here," said Irvin, the former star receiver for the University of Miami and Dallas Cowboys. "This boy (Walker) came back into camp because of Brett Favre. The great Brett Favre. This is not some rookie quarterback calling him out when he was asking for his money. This is the great Brett Favre."
To recap, Walker, on the advice of his Miami-based agent, Drew Rosenhaus, threatened to hold out of training camp because the former Florida State receiver thought the $515,000 he was due to make this season wasn't worth the injury risk. Not after a Pro Bowl season that included 89 catches for 1,382 yards and 12 TDs.
"When you're dealing with a profession where you can be paralyzed or injured at any given time . . . you have to do what's best for you," Walker, 26, said in May on Wisconsin radio station WTLX.
Favre, who discussed retirement before the season, criticized Walker, saying he was "going about this the wrong way."
"Just because you had one good year doesn't give you the right to hold out and put the team in that situation," Favre said.
In the end, Walker reported to camp on time. The teammaes made up. But against the Lions on Sunday, Walker sustained the type of injury he feared — a torn ligament in his right knee that means he will lose the next six to 10 months — and any negotiating leverage.
That, Irvin said, is why Favre was wrong to pressure Walker.
"I love Brett, I appreciate Brett. But Brett should know business is business," said Irvin, who was at Dolphins camp on Thursday for a ESPN feature. "You don't mess with another man's business.
"Now, what do you do, Brett? If I'm Brett, how you can walk in the room when you just did surgery to say, 'Hey, man, I'm sorry this has happened?' How could you do it? How could you look that man in his eyes?"
When asked Wednesday if he regretted his previous comments, Favre said no.
"I feel terrible about what happened because it doesn't help our team any," said Favre, who makes upward of $10 million a year. "But he's young. It's hard for him to believe it right now, but I promise you, he'll come back better. His contract situation will take care of itself. I still think he'll make a lot of money."
Irvin said Favre should have done more to help Walker negotiate — that the quarterback should have been worrying about his teammates and not his bosses.
"Brett called out Javon Walker. I say, 'Why didn't Brett call out Ted Thompson, the GM over at Green Bay?' " Irvin said.
"If he comes out on the air and says, 'Hey, Ted and Javon, you guys get your butts together, man, because we need Javon in here,' then I say, 'Man, that man cares about the football team.' But when you just call out Javon, I say, 'Well, maybe it's the organization you care about.' "
Staff writer Hal Habib contributed to this story.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/content/sports/epaper/2005/09/16/a6b_nflextra_0916.html