Favre calls out McKenzie
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
April 29, 2004
Favre calls out McKenzie Says cornerback should honor deal
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By TOM SILVERSTEIN tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com, Journal Sentinel
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Green Bay -- Whether it inspires Mike McKenzie to patch up his differences with the Green Bay Packers remains to be seen, but a very pointed message was sent by quarterback Brett Favre to the disgruntled cornerback about his obligation to the team.
Favre made it clear Wednesday in his first Packers-related news conference that he thought McKenzie was in a no-win situation and should reconsider his decision to boycott team activities. Acknowledging that McKenzie deserves to be considered among the top cornerbacks in the league, Favre said he lacked the leverage to force the Packers to meet his demands.
"He should be here, we expect him to be here and the Packers have the upper hand," Favre said, speaking after the first practice of a five-day minicamp. "He says he wants to be traded and all that stuff, but they don't have to do that. When paycheck time starts coming around and you're not getting one, it's amazing how quickly you start waking up.
"I hope it doesn't come to that. Mike, he's a good guy. He really is, and things like this sometimes give people a false impression of someone's character. I respect him. I think he's an excellent player and he's a good guy.
"Sometimes we don't make good decisions or (we) have people telling us the wrong things. I don't know what's going on in this case. But he is one of the top corners. I will agree with that. But it will work itself out if he will just come back."
This is not the first time Favre has urged a player to honor his contract. In 1994, when he was entering his third season as a starter, he took wide receiver Sterling Sharpe to task for boycotting practice the day before the season opener.
At the time, Favre told reporters that "if you signed a contract, you honored it." Favre was in the first year of a five-year, $19 million contract that was upgraded to a seven-year, $42.5 million deal three years later.
McKenzie is in the third year of a five-year, $17.1 million contract that included a $3.5 million signing bonus.
This past off-season a half dozen free agent cornerbacks signed contracts with signing bonuses of $7 million or more, leaving McKenzie well down the list of the highest paid at his position.
"He is one of the top corners in this league, I'll say that," Favre said. "But when you sign a contract, you sign a contract. And we all make a lot of money and sometimes it doesn't seem fair that other guys make more who you know you're better than. But that's the way this business works and as bad as that may seem at times, it will work itself out. I hope he realizes that because he will hurt our football team if he's away, and he will really help our team when he's here. I don't know what (more) the team can do. I think they've done what they're supposed to do."
Favre concluded his remarks by saying, "We definitely need him here and hopefully he wakes up and comes back."
While Favre was speaking in another room, a number of his teammates were talking to reporters in the locker room. Most of the defensive backs said they were unaware of McKenzie's reasons for holding out but figured he had a good reason not to be there.
Most were confident the Packers and McKenzie could reach common ground and get the dispute settled, although they admitted it could take a long time to mend fences.
"There's a lot of finger pointing going on, but nobody knows what's going on," said cornerback Michael Hawthorne, who was McKenzie's replacement at left cornerback during practice. "Everybody should take a step back, breathe and whatever is final will be final.
"Who knows? Mike could have issues back home that would lead to certain decisions. There's things people don't know. Let Mike be Mike. When he finally decides what he wants to do, that's when everybody will know."
Hawthorne said he spoke with McKenzie several days ago, but he declined to reveal what was said. He indicated, however, that there were no hard feelings despite McKenzie's decision to walk away from the team.
"You have to respect the man being a man, and everybody around here respects him for being a man and for being a player," Hawthorne said.
Safety Darren Sharper, who has been a starter with McKenzie since the latter came into the league in 1999, found it hard to believe that money was the only issue in the dispute. Since he has known McKenzie, money has not been of primary importance and he doubts it is now.
"From what I know of Mike, and we're good friends, money has never been an issue with him," Sharper said. "I know how he lives and what kind of guy he is. If there's a perception that that's what it is, I'll be the first one to (dispute) that because I don't think that's the issue."
A number of players whose contracts are nearing the end will be watching closely to see what the Packers do with McKenzie.
One of the things McKenzie has told people close to him about his dispute is that he doesn't feel the organization "treats people right."
That kind of reputation can be damaging to a team when it comes to recruiting free agents and getting players to sign long-term contracts. McKenzie feels that the club did not communicate with veterans like Vonnie Holliday, Nate Wayne and Na'il Diggs the way it should have when their contracts became an issue.
Starting right cornerback Al Harris, who will be a free agent next season, admitted he would be watching the way the McKenzie scenario unfolded, but he said he has been happy with the way he has been treated in Green Bay so far.
Coach Mike Sherman did not express any feelings about McKenzie's holdout other than to say it will not be a distraction and the team will move on regardless of whether he was in the fold.
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