The news that Brett Favre has asked the Green Bay Packers to give him his release so he can pursue a deal with another National Football League team is a public relations nightmare for the franchise and the iconic quarterback.

Back in March, when a teary-eyed Favre said he was through with football, the Packers thought they could move on with a new quarterback in a new era. At that point, all that was left was to schedule a retirement ceremony for the soon-to-be Hall of Famer and start making space for the Favre shrine in the Packers Hall of Fame.

Now Favre has changed all that by signaling his desire to be released and play for another team.

"Favre has thrown a knuckle-ball the Packers can't catch," said Evan Zeppos, a veteran public relations executive in Milwaukee. "The Packers are in a no-win situation. Right now, the Packers say they want to move forward. Are they going to reverse course? They can't. If they do, they better do it quickly."

"It's a PR mess," added Marc Ganis, the head of Sportscorp Ltd., a Chicago-based sports consulting firm. "It's got to be frustrating for all parties."

Ganis said it didn't matter who is right or wrong in the matter. Perception counts and right now, Packers management is on the defensive, he said.

Ganis drew the analogy of what happened in Chicago when Jerry Krause was general manager of the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls won six National Basketball Association championships with Jordan. But Ganis said many people in Chicago still considered Krause the man who drove Jordan and then coach Phil Jackson out of town. Never mind that Krause was the architect of a dynasty.

"Right now, the Packers management team is faced with the perception that they will be known as the guys who ran Favre out of town," Ganis said.

To be sure, the Packers, in a terse statement issued soon after the Favre story broke yesterday, were careful about tainting Favre's long history with the franchise.

"As with all Packers greats, Brett's legacy will always be celebrated by our fans and the organization, regardless of any change in his personal intentions. Brett and Deanna will always be a part of the Packers family," the Packers said.

But Favre faces some public relations blowback as well. Though he is revered in Wisconsin, many fans have expressed frustration and anger at the way Favre has behaved in the past few months.

In April, the Los Angeles Times reported that Favre's agent, James "Bus" Cook, was gauging teams' interest. Not true, Cook said. Apparently it was.

Zeppos said it was obvious that the release of the details of the letter sent to the Packers by Favre and his agent was a "calculated PR move."

Steelers sign 2

Ryan Mundy, a Woodland Hills graduate, and Mike Humpal, both sixth-round picks, agree to deals. NFL notebook, Page C-6.