FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) -- New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum acknowledged Thursday he made a mistake handling Brett Favre's biceps tendon injury last season, and should have listed the quarterback on the team's injury report. Tannenbaum and the Jets could face disciplinary action from the NFL for not listing Favre's torn biceps tendon on the weekly report following the injury with four or five games remaining. Tannenbaum said Favre should've appeared on the report as "probable." "I'll take responsibility for that," he said. "As the GM of this team, I should've handled that differently and listed him on the report. We didn't, just because he wasn't getting treatment every day and we knew he was going to play. But, looking back on it now, I should've listed him as probable, and we didn't, and I'll take responsibility for that." Tannenbaum called the league offices and spoke to Ray Anderson, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, about the issue. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed the league is looking into the situation. "I'll just say that we'll cooperate with them," Tannenbaum said, "and we'll go from there." Favre led the Jets to a terrific start as the team soared into first place in the AFC East at 8-3 with consecutive road wins at New England and Tennessee. But Favre's injury hampered him and he threw nine interceptions down the stretch as the team lost four of its last five games and missed the playoffs. Favre retired after the season, and was later released by the Jets. The quarterback came out of retirement -- again -- last month and signed with Minnesota. On Wednesday, Favre told reporters in Minnesota he may not be able to play all 16 games with the Vikings this season. The biceps tendon was surgically repaired, but he's playing with a torn rotator cuff and he recently suggested he might have a cracked rib. He said he felt as though he was harming the Jets with slight misses on some throws late last season. Favre, who has started 269 consecutive regular-season games, also said he spoke with Tannenbaum, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and quarterbacks coach Brian Daboll -- he didn't name then-Jets head coach Eric Mangini -- but the consensus was to finish it out. "It was a decision that we made collectively and Brett was part of it," Tannenbaum said. "We just felt he gave us the best chance to win and that was based on how he was playing and how the team was doing. Again, he was part of that decision, but collectively, we thought that was in the best interest of the team." Backup quarterback Kellen Clemens said he was aware Favre was in some pain, but there was never a point he was told he might have to start in the veteran's place. "Brett Favre at 85 percent is still better than most, myself included," Clemens said. "Not to mention, he's Brett Favre. He probably would've had to be in a wheelchair or something. I didn't take that personal." Clemens added that Favre was limited in practice and took less snaps as the season wore on. "I knew just because of the situation with Brett being in some pain, off and on, that as a backup, I had a little bit better chance of playing on Sundays," he said. "You're still behind Brett Favre and he's still the ironman and your chances still aren't great, but they go up from 2 percent to 4 percent or something." Mangini, now the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, echoed Tannenbaum's comments and refused to blame Favre's performance for the Jets' late-season collapse. "With that whole part of the season, I made the decisions that I thought were best for the team at that time," he said. "You take all the information in and you move forward with it. There were a lot of things that I could have done better. There were a lot of things the coaches could have done better, and there are a lot of things as players we could have done better. I don't think winning or losing is ever going to come down to one guy, it's a cumulative thing." He also said as far as he knew, the Jets followed protocol in regard to the injury report. "I can tell you that we always fill out the injury report by the guidelines set through the NFL," Mangini said. "That was true there. It's true here and it will be true every week of the season and that's how we approach it." Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/09/10/brett.favre.ap/index.html#ixzz0QjgKGuE7
I still blame the Pussy Coach for all of this. Tanny is just being a upstanding gentleman and taking the bullet. I understand this could have gone in the other thread related to this new one.
So, not listing Favre as probable is what caused him to further injure his bicep? I'm not seeing the correlation between listing someone as probable (like Tom Brady every week) and them hurting themselves.
As much as I don't like Mangini, he could have thrown us under as well and didn't. Mistakes are made you learn from them and move on.
I don't see the point of listing an injury if they are 100% going to play. If they are like 95% or less, then list them as probable.... But there was no way that Favre wasnt going to play down the stress.
In the NFL everyone should be listed as probable after the first 5 games... if they were sure to play Favre why bother? I hate that Favre came out with this now... if we had benched him he would've said the Jets ruined his streak... what a whiner...
Agreed. Aren't all players banged up in some form or fashion in the 2nd half of the season? If he practiced and he was going to play, I don't see what the issue was. Thanks again, Brett!
Yup setting the ground early for his excuses to come later in Minny how he wont be able to play last year really drained him bla bla bla
My first thought would be to distance himself from the organization as a whole. Not knowing the exact timing of the statements but only assuming, media attention is being payed more to the GM who just confessed not to him.
And now, the moron has thrown up red flags around his new team by doing this. If the Vikes lose a couple of games in the middle of the season and he plays a major role, can you imagine the amount of questions that he, Childress, and the team is going to face about his health? I mean seriously, why bring this crap up now? Wait until your retired and write the book, you doofus...
Hopefully, this will only cost us money and not a DP.. The League will come down on us for this definetly..
I don't even know how you can fine us money either... I mean we didnt list him on the injury list and he played. I mean it would be one thing to not list him on the chart, and then not play him because he is hurt. yes he was banged up, but so was everyone else.... I guess the only thing would be to build in an excuse that he was hurting so the fans were more ok with the losses than if he was healthy.... but i just don't get it. Why should we inform the other team that favre has a torn bicep if he is going to play 100%? its not like they are at a disadvantage, they are preparing for him to be 100% healthy, as they would if he was listed as probable, and they would adjust accordingly as his limitations became aparent....
the fact is that gambling is big money. whether they say it out loud or not thats the fact. we will be fined i can almost guarantee you that. we all hate it when the patsies dont list injuries properly, what makes us any different? the guy was injured he should have been on the list, this is one of those mangini is a douchebag things though. he just doesnt understand that it doesnt fuckin matter that you listed him as probable with an arm injury. NOW however it will cost the organization some money due to his douchebaggery. tannenbaum took the heat i will give him credit for that while i blame him for being too much of a pussy to do the right thing. favre is a cocksucker he will ruin that team, a team that could have really done something with the 2 qbs they had before this douche got there. while he ists there making excuses for himself before he even starts to suck a fat cock, which he surely will. can someone please just shoot this fuckin guy so we dont have to hear about him anymore.
