Scooped on their own story, the Packers on Tuesday morning plan to send out a press release outlining the changes in Thompson’s duties before Murphy holds a press briefing in the afternoon.
Last week, one of Thompson’s close friends was asked if he could envision a scenario in which Murphy and the corporation’s executive committee would force him out or if he would retire?
“I doubt that Ted will hang it up,” the friend said. “He does not have anything else to do and, more or less, seems to be happy being in charge of the personnel end of the Packers.”
The public images of Thompson and some recent interaction with Packers executives led the 45-member board of directors to instruct Murphy to remove him as general manager, according to one source.
Last month, Thompson was just gazing into space hardly mindful why he was attending a meeting of team executives, the source said.
The incident was one of several in the last six months that called into question Thompson’s fitness for performing such demanding work. It also opened the Packers to embarrassment for having a man with apparent health and focusing issues directing their football operation.
Ten days ago, NBC cameras centered on Thompson at his press-box seat when play was stopped during the Green Bay-Minnesota game at Lambeau Field. For almost 12 seconds Thompson was sitting there with his mouth open.
Deadspin tweeted the photo of Thompson with the caption: “When the ‘nog is too strong.”
Thompson’s mouth was ajar not long before that as he and McCarthy watched Aaron Rodgers warm up at practice.
Thompson frequently is seen in the Packers’ offices in similar pose, which alarmed one person.
This summer I watched as Thompson shuffled slowly around Ray Nitschke Field as he watched practice. Carrying his ever-present water bottle, he would bring the bottle to his lips with great deliberation and take periodic drinks.
Another friend of Thompson’s said recently “there’s something foggy about him” during their recent conversations.
An executive in personnel for an NFC team said he encountered Thompson on the scouting trail this fall.
“He looks like he’s walking in a daze,” the personnel man said last week. “It looks like there’s something that’s slowing him down mentally.”
On Thursday, another personnel man said in his opinion there would be no chance of a new GM in Green Bay any time soon.
“Ted’s going to stay put for a little bit,” the scout said. “I think he’s going to try to fix it and make it better than he found it. He wouldn’t want to leave on this type of note right here.”
Murphy can be expected to examine candidates to replace Thompson from in-house and outside the organization. It’s likely he will rely on Jed Hughes, a head-hunter for Korn Ferry who delivered him to the executive committee in late 2007.
This will be the first major decision that Murphy will make in football since replacing Bob Harlan in January 2008.
