GREEN BAY — General manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy were both back at 1265 Lombardi Ave. on Tuesday, but the Green Bay Packers' top football decision-makers weren't talking about the latest developments in the Brett Favre unretirement saga.

Although it was unclear whether the two men had cut short their pre-training camp vacations over Favre expressing an interest in returning to the NFL following his retirement in early March, the story continues to move toward some sort of confrontation over Favre's future and possible return for an 18th NFL season.

Thompson didn't reply to a text message sent to him Tuesday afternoon, but McCarthy is scheduled to speak this morning about a donation he is making to a Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay.

WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee reported Monday night that Favre sent a text message to Thompson on Saturday, wanting to talk. According to the station, which did not identify the source of the information, Thompson replied with a text saying that he was on vacation and the two would have to wait to talk until he returns.

Much of the Packers' front-office staff is on vacation, and many of their outgoing voicemail messages state that they will return to the office July 21.

The team hasn't commented officially with the exception of their initial statement — "The Packers have no reaction" — released July 2, when news of Favre's "itch" to return broke.

However, before departing on the team's annual Tailgate Tour goodwill bus-ride around the state, both chairman emeritus Bob Harlan, the team's retired president and CEO, and Mark Murphy, the team's new president and CEO, told WBAY-TV in Green Bay Tuesday that, in their minds, Favre remains retired.

"Last time I saw Brett or talked to Brett is the day he retired. I was with him before his press conference (on March 6) and he seemed like he was ready to go. And (Favre's wife) Deanna seemed like she was ready to go," Harlan said. "I don't know anything beyond that point. I'm still assuming he's retired and settled.

"He left at such a great time. It was a great season, he had a wonderful year. It was a good time to go. You always hate to see somebody come back and try to do something maybe when their best times are past. I felt badly when (Hall of Fame defensive end) Reggie (White) came back and played in Carolina in 2000 because he wasn't the same person. You want to remember somebody when they're at the top of their game, and Brett certainly was last year."

Said Murphy: "There's not a player in the NFL that I respect more than Brett Favre. He made a very emotional decision in March, and nothing officially has changed.

"This is not a huge surprise. It never ends the way players want. My career didn't end the way I wanted it. It's very common. The biggest thing is, it's really hard to leave the game. And whether you're a superstar or you get cut, it's never the way you want it. And I think that's what we're seeing here a little bit."

Asked if he believes Favre has played his last game in Green Bay, Murphy said, "I don't deal in the hypothetical. That's for you guys to guess at. I can't get into that."

Sports Illustrated's Peter King chimed in on the Favre saga with a column Monday on SI.com, reporting that the Packers had sent "an intermediary" to Favre's Hattiesburg, Miss., home to "try to talk some sense into him," which would seem to translate to "try to talk him into staying retired." Efforts to confirm the report were unsuccessful Tuesday.

King also reported that McCarthy told Favre during their most recent conversation that he's putting the team in a difficult position, and that — as the State Journal and Green Bay Press-Gazette had reported last week — Thompson had not returned repeated calls from Favre's agent, James "Bus" Cook, in recent weeks.

King also wrote that he expects — his opinion, not based on information culled from sources — that Cook would request that Favre be taken off the NFL's reserve/retired list within the next 10 days. If that happens, the Packers would have 24 hours to either activate Favre to their roster or release him.

If they decide that they do not want Favre back and cannot trade him in those first 24 hours, the Packers could activate Favre, then try to trade him before the team reports to training camp July 27. The club also could give Cook permission to speak to other teams about a potential trade.

Before leaving on vacation, Thompson was asked by the Press-Gazette about the perception that the organization hadn't done enough to talk Favre into playing another season.

"I never understood that, quite frankly," Thompson said. "We went about this offseason the way we have the last several, making sure Brett knew that Mike and I both felt he's still a good player, can still play the game, can still win and that our team was going to be in a position to win.

"I think that's what a veteran looks for: Do we have a chance to win? And can I still play?

"Other than that, it's not my place to try to convince someone that they're making a bad decision or a good decision. It's my place to say, 'These are the facts as I see them, now it's up to you and Deanna to make your choice.' "