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Report: Board of Directors instructed Murphy to remove Thompson from G.M. job

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Ted Thompson will not return as the general manager of the Green Bay Packers, but that's not the only change the team must make before the 2018 season.

Now that the story is out, the story behind the story is emerging.

Veteran Packers reporter Bob McGinn, who left the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last year and started his own online publication, reports that the removal of Ted Thompson from the G.M. position in Green Bay happened at the behest of the team. Specifically, the 45-member Board of Directors instructed CEO Mark Murphy to remove Thompson from the job.

McGinn points to “public images” of Thompson and “some recent interaction” with team executives as the impetus for the move, listing various factors that contributed to the conclusion that Thompson’s health prevents him from continuing in the job.

McGinn’s article delves into specifics that, indeed, would make Thompson unfit to continue in such a demanding job. It’s unclear what the issue is, but the concern generally relates to his ability to properly focus.

Making the article even more intriguing is the manner in which it seems to hint in passing at the possibility of a new G.M. making a coaching change, primarily by pointing out that Thompson was never going to move on from Mike McCarthy. Now that the Packers are moving on from Thompson (as the G.M.), the question becomes whether the next G.M. will decide to stick with McCarthy.