Has Brett Favre Signing Created a 'Schism' in Vikings' Locker Room?

When Brett Favre announced that he was coming out of retirement again, Vikings fans quickly rushed to buy tickets. But ESPN.com's Adam Schefter and Pro Football Talk are both reporting that the response within the Vikings locker room was much chillier.

Schefter has the strongest report, as he cites three different NFL sources as saying that there is dissension among the players about which quarterback gives the team the best chance to win. One of the sources called it a "schism."

Sources with knowledge of the Vikings locker-room dynamics say some players believe Tarvaris Jackson gives the Vikings the best chance to win, while other players believe Sage Rosenfels gives the team the best chance to win -- which is one of the new twists to this storyline. In the words of one NFL source, Favre has "little support" in the locker room as Minnesota prepares for its Monday night preseason game against the Houston Texans.

Vikings coach Brad Childress denied the reports on Wednesday saying he hasn't seen "anything that looks close to that." Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune seconded Childress' claim, stating that while there are likely some members of the team frustrated with the move, the situation is nowhere near "as dire as it is being painted."

But if there is dissension, it's only logical. Childress has established that there's one set of rules for Favre and another set for everyone else. While participation in all of the offseason workouts was stressed for Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels (and everyone else on the roster), Favre was able to skip training camp, walk in and have the starting job handed to him the same day he got his jersey. It's not shocking if that created some resentment.

Favre can likely end any grumbling in the locker room by playing like a 30-year-old Favre. But it he falters, we could be looking at a pretty nasty situation brewing.