This week it was a typical Wednesday morning for the media at Winter Park, the Vikings training facility. About 22 journalists were standing outside the field house waiting to enter and attend a news conference.
The doors opened closer to noon than the scheduled 11:45 a.m. but no one in the media had turned around to go elsewhere. Coach Brad Childress was at the podium within minutes, talking in front of a half dozen cameras, plus print, radio and Web reporters. There were several questions for Childress but because he’s available to the media multiple times per week he’s not quite the target that quarterback Brett Favre is.
Vikings public relations director Bob Hagan receives a lot of media requests to interview Favre but Favre’s weekly routine is usually a Wednesday press conference, a Friday meeting with TV production people planning the coming Sunday’s telecast and then a post-game news conference.
When Favre stepped to the podium this week he was wearing a baseball cap and dressed casually with a towel draped over his right shoulder. He didn’t make an opening statement and began answering questions.
Favre is pleasant and thorough with his answers. Favre isn’t defensive but you are aware he’s alert to understanding what the question is and perhaps the meaning behind it. Nearly all questions received a detailed answer on Wednesday and responses could last for a few minutes. His speech wasn’t filled with clichés and he doesn’t come to the podium with his own agenda of messages.
Favre is quick to give credit to teammates and coaches. Sometimes he will criticize himself, perhaps suggesting he holds on to the ball too long when attempting to pass. He will occasionally have fun with himself, too, as he did on Wednesday when asked about how he hurt his groin a couple of weeks ago.
“I’d like to say that it was in a full tackling drill, but it was a lot less than that,” Favre said. “It was really just a half-walk-through, rolling out to the right. It’s like when (you) wake up in the morning and you are putting your shoes on and your back gives out for no apparent reason. That’s kind of what it was.”
Favre will also give his audience insight about his personal life. Asked about how he spent last week when the Vikings didn’t have a game to prepare for and he had extra time he said: “I didn’t go home (to Mississippi). I hung around here, did a little hunting. (I just) killed time, before you ask. Probably like most of the guys, I just got away from it. I actually came in one day and watched film. So I couldn’t totally get away from it.”
While football is his job, Favre understands news conferences and that working with the media is part of his responsibility. He’s had lots of experience including his many seasons in Green Bay and New York where he was always news.
Away from the field, Favre has done charity work including for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He’s spent time with children in the program since his arrival here.
Some personal time has been devoted to playing golf, hunting or going to the movies. There’s been time with his family which has been temporarily relocated to a Minneapolis suburb.
Despite all the attention he receives, Favre said there’s nothing special he does to stay grounded: “Nothing really. I go home. I helped my 10-year old with some homework yesterday, which I think fourth and 20 at the end of the game is a little bit easier than some of her homework. I did a little bit of that. I’ve gone out and spent a little time in the woods doing some hunting, but other than that, that is pretty much it. Pretty boring.”