Nick Barnett won't have to miss the Sept. 8 regular-season opener, although the Packers starting middle linebacker will be essentially "volunteering" when the Packers play Minnesota on Monday Night Football.

Of course, given how close he was to not playing and not getting paid, well, he isn't complaining.

Barnett said Wednesday that the NFL initially suspended him for the Packers' first game after reviewing his involvement in a June 2007 altercation at an Appleton nightclub.

In the incident, Barnett was initially charged with two counts of criminal disorderly conduct but completed a deferred prosecution program as part of a guilty plea that resulted in a conviction on a single civil count of disorderly conduct. That left Barnett with fines and court costs of $753 to pay but no criminal record.

By agreeing to the plea, Barnett subjected himself to the NFL's personal conduct policy, and in early July, the league decided on a one-game suspension as punishment.

Barnett went to the league office in New York to appeal about two weeks before camp opened, and the league reduced the penalty to a fine of one game check -- 1/17th of his $2 million base salary, or $117,647.

"I didn't expect (a suspension). I expected a fine," Barnett said after practice Wednesday. "I was just looking at the past history of things that have happened (with other players) and what the disciplinary actions were. There's been a lot more violent situations. But they have to do what they have to do."

"I get to play Monday night. Pockets are a little lighter, but I still get to play."

Barnett said he would advise teammate Johnny Jolly, who could be subject to a fine or suspension in the wake of his July arrest for felony drug possession in Houston, to clarify with the NFL what any plea agreement might mean before agreeing to one.

"(Jolly) hasn't been proven guilty or hasn't been to court yet, (so) I don't know what he's facing," Barnett said. "But I would tell him this: Speak with the NFL (before entering a plea agreement).

"If I would have fought it, and it came back not guilty, I'm sure it would've been a different disciplinary action (from the NFL). I'm sure it wouldn't have been that steep. I'm not going to say my total actions were innocent on the night, but there are certain situations they said happened (that didn't). But bottom line, it's all over."

Approached in the locker room, Jolly refused to discuss his case or what advice Barnett gave him.

Brohm's brotherly advice: As Brian Brohm's older brother, his former position coach at the University of Louisville and an ex-NFL quarterback himself, Jeff Brohm knows exactly what his kid brother is going through as he struggles with his first NFL training camp.

"I've coached him for a while, and I've tried not to put my nose in there too much and give my opinion," Jeff said in a phone interview Wednesday. "But the last couple weeks as he started to struggle, I told him, `If you need to talk, I'm here.' And when he's calling me for help, he knows he's struggling a little bit. But he's listened to everything I've said, and he agrees: It's kind of a head game with him right now."

Entering the Packers' third exhibition game Friday night at Denver, Brian has completed 12 of 26 passes (46.2 percent) for 103 yards, with no touchdowns, one interception and one lost fumble for a passer rating of 41.0. Third-stringer Matt Flynn has better numbers -- 17 of 27 (63.0 percent) for 130 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions for an 87.0 rating -- than his fellow rookie, and McCarthy acknowledged recently that Flynn, a seventh-round pick, has closed the gap for the No. 2 job behind Aaron Rodgers.

"There's been times out there where I feel in a good rhythm and I'm doing well, and there's times where maybe I'm a step slow getting to the right person," Brian said. "If I can just get into a nice rhythm and get things going, I'll feel a lot better out there. You just have to keep grinding, keep working hard, keep pushing yourself and just know that all the hard work will eventually pay off."

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Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by diesel1976 on Aug. 22, 2008 at 9:18 a.m. (report)

117K huh? He makes more money in one "game" playing football than most Americans make in a year. What a backwards world we live in.

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