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Published: July 19, 2008
Thompson, McCarthy get support in Favre standoff
MILWAUKEE -- Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy restated his support for general manager Ted Thompson and Coach Mike McCarthy in the standoff with Brett Favre.
Murphy attended a meeting of the team's executive committee yesterday. He was not available for comment afterward, but team spokesman Aaron Popkey said that Murphy has "full confidence" in how Thompson and McCarthy are handling this matter.
Favre is having second thoughts about football after retiring in March. But the Packers have since committed to moving on without the three-time MVP, causing a public rift between the team and one of its greatest players.
Although the Packers are publicly owned, the seven-member executive committee meets in private and doesn't publicize its agenda. The meetings generally cover all aspects of the team's operation and typically include a football report. It was widely assumed, but not confirmed, that the Favre situation would be discussed.
In an interview with The Associated Press this week, Willie Davis, an emeritus member of the Packers' board of directors, said that Favre was bound to come up in any meeting involving high-level team executives.
"Obviously, right now, this is going to be a heavy discussion," Davis said.
A week filled with awkward moments between Favre and the team could intensify today. Favre is scheduled to present former teammate Frank Winters at the Packers' Hall of Fame induction banquet. He is expected to honor his commitment, but it is not clear if he will take questions from reporters.
Favre's future also could come up during the Packers' annual shareholders meeting at Lambeau Field on July 24.
More football
■ Safety DaJuan Morgan, a third-round draft pick out of N.C. State, agreed to a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday. The Chiefs did not release details of the contract.
With a week left before training camp, the Chiefs have not yet signed their two first-round picks, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey from LSU and tackle Branden Albert from Virginia.
■ Second-round draft pick Devin Thomas of Michigan State signed a $4.83 million, four-year contract with the Washington Redskins yesterday, two days before the start of training camp.
The deal includes a signing bonus of about $2.7 million for Thomas, a 6-2, 218-pound wide receiver who was Washington's top pick in April's NFL draft. The Redskins have nine of their 10 draft picks under contract, and the only pick still unsigned is tight end Fred Davis of Southern California, who was taken later in the second round.
Thomas had one big year in college, catching a school-record 79 passes for 1,260 yards and eight touchdowns in 2007 as a junior. He also had a 29.1-yard average as a kickoff returner.
■ Football coaches in the South Atlantic Conference picked Carson-Newman as the favorite to win the league title. The Eagles, who return 21 starters from a 10-1 team that tied for the championship last season, received six first-place votes and 62 of a possible 64 points in the preseason poll. Newberry (50) was second and followed by 2007 co-champion Catawba (46), Tusculum (43), Wingate (35), Mars Hill (23), Lenoir-Rhyne (20) and Brevard (9).
■ Ohio University yesterday extended the contract of football coach Frank Solich through the 2013 season. Solich, fired at Nebraska after the 2003 season and hired at Ohio in 2004, coached the Bobcats to the GMAC Bowl in 2006 and to a 6-6 record last season. The bowl appearance was the program's first since 1968.
■ The New York Jets signed tight end Dustin Keller, the 30th overall pick in the draft, to a multiyear contract yesterday.
The signing leaves defensive end-linebacker Vernon Gholston, taken sixth overall, as the Jets' only unsigned draft pick. New York opens training camp next week.
The speedy Keller caught 142 passes for 1,882 yards and 16 touchdowns for Purdue and will give the Jets a much-needed vertical threat.
The Jets also waived rookie cornerback Jonathan Zenon, an undrafted free agent from LSU.
Basketball
■ Coach Ernie Kent and Oregon have agreed to terms on a contract extension that will run through the 2012-13 season. The agreement, which took effect July 1, raises Kent's annual minimum guaranteed salary from $1 million to $1,060,000. It also will provide more than $347,000 in additional salary and benefits for his staff.
Kent is 211-134 as the men's coach at Oregon and has led the Ducks to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the final eight.
■ Point guard Deron Williams signed a contract extension with Utah yesterday that will keep him with the Jazz through at least the 2011-12 season.
Williams, who still had one year left on the rookie contract he signed after the Jazz picked him third overall in the 2005 NBA draft, signed a three-year deal with a one year option. Terms of the contract were not released.
Williams has led Utah to the last two Northwest Division titles.
■ Marreese Speights, taken by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 16th overall pick in June's NBA draft, signed with the team yesterday.
Speights, a 6-10 forward out of Florida, will receive about $2.6 million in the first two years of the contract. The team holds an option for two additional years.
Speights received considerable playing time in the Las Vegas summer league, averaging 18.2 points and team-highs with 10.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in five games.
■ Forward Luke Walton of the Lakers underwent surgery yesterday to remove bone spurs and scar tissue and clean up some cartilage debris from his right ankle.
The team said the operation took about and hour and was performed by Dr. David Thordarson at the University of Southern California.
Walton's rehabilitation is expected to take about six weeks and he's expected to make a full recovery by the start of training camp.
High schools
■ Jake McCaslin and Ashley Alderin-Fleagle, recent East Forsyth High graduates, have been added to the West rosters for next week's East-West soccer all-star games in Greensboro.
McCaslin replaces Ryan Mertes of Lake Norman, and Alderin-Fleagle replaces Eleanor Davidson of Reagan and joins her sister, Kristin, on the West team. Also, Elizabeth Hawes of East Burke was named to replace Taylor Norman of Reagan. Davidson and Norman withdrew because of summer-school commitments at Wake Forest.
All-star competition will start Monday with boys and girls basketball at the Greensboro Coliseum. The soccer games will be Tuesday at UNC Greensboro, and the football game will be Wednesday at Grimsley High.
Miscellaneous
■ Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport withdrew yesterday from next week's East West Bank Classic, with both citing right-knee injuries.
Williams hasn't played a tournament since defeating her younger sister Serena to win her fifth Wimbledon title earlier this month.
"I have been receiving treatment for tendinitis in my right knee over the last several days and my medical advisers have encouraged me to allow myself an additional week to completely recover," she said in a statement.
Williams said she still plans to play the Rogers Cup in Montreal, the Beijing Olympics and the U.S. Open.
Davenport's nagging right knee injury caused her to withdraw from a tournament for the fourth time in seven weeks. She is on the U.S. Olympic tennis team.
"I always look forward to the opportunity to play so close to home, but unfortunately my knee has not completely healed at this point," she said in a statement.
WE WERE WRONG
Ty Boyles, who was selected to the Coastal Plain League All-Star team, graduated from Surry Central High School, not East Surry, as was reported yesterday.
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