As Vikings await, Favre to break his silence with live appearance on HBO show Monday night

Favre to appear on HBO show Monday night

NEW YORK — Brett Favre is about to break his silence.

The quarterback is scheduled to appear Monday night on the premiere of “Joe Buck Live” on HBO, his first public comments since he retired from the New York Jets in February. The Minnesota Vikings have pursued Favre this offseason in his latest will-he-or-won’t-he saga.

HBO said Favre agreed in April to appear on the show at the request of Buck, the longtime baseball and football announcer. That was before his release from the Jets, which prompted Minnesota’s interest in the 39-year-old three-time NFL MVP.

Favre has been assessing the condition of his arm and whether he is interested in coming out of retirement for a second straight year.

The Vikings were a presumed suitor last summer when Favre renounced his retirement from the Packers and was told Green Bay was going with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. But the Packers weren’t going to let him go to their NFC North rivals, and after a messy divorce with Green Bay, Favre was shipped to the Jets.

He threw 22 touchdown passes and 22 interceptions last season for a team that finished 1-4 to miss the playoffs.

The Vikings won their division without him, but have been unsettled at the sport’s most important position for the past three-plus years. Quarterback continues to be viewed as one of the team’s few weak spots on an otherwise talent-laden roster.

Quarterbacks Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels have gone through an offseason of uncertainty as rumors swirl about Favre. The Vikings report to training camp in just over six weeks.