Count Brett Favre among the former Percy Harvin teammates who don’t think he’s a problem in the locker room.
Favre, who spent two years as Harvin’s teammate in Minnesota, said he was shocked the Seahawks shipped Harvin to the Jets and can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want Harvin as a teammate.
“I was surprised that that trade happened,” Favre said on NFL Network. “I have no idea why it happened. Percy was a good guy in the locker room. Really quiet. You know, he had a migraine issue, I don’t know where that is. I’m really not at a position to make any comment because I don’t know other than what my dealings were with Percy and they were great. I thought he was an outstanding player.”
Favre said that Harvin “keeps to himself” in the locker room, and Favre acknowledged that he could see a situation in which Harvin might have butted heads with others. But Favre said that -- contrary to stories portraying Harvin as angry and even violent with teammates -- what he saw was just Harvin being passionate about wanting to win.
“He can be a little combative, but I say that in a good way,” Favre said. “Percy’s all about doing whatever he can to help you win. He’s tough as nails and really that’s all he cares about. So if you start picking him apart, I don’t want to say he can turn against you, but he’s just tough. I really liked him as a player and a person.”
There must be some reason that Harvin wore out his welcome in both Minnesota and Seattle. But it’s also clear that some of the best players Harvin ever played with -- including Favre, Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch -- loved having him as a teammate. Perhaps the Jets will be the team that benefits from all the things that make Harvin great, while figuring out a way to avoid all the things that got Harvin sent packing by two teams in the last two years.
