MILWAUKEE - Brett Favre finally is speaking for himself: He wants to play but doesn't feel welcome in Green Bay, so he's asking to be released.

The quarterback's first substantial comments on his latest retirement decision reversal come in an interview with Fox News on "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren."

"I am guilty of retiring early, and there is a reason for that," Favre said, according to an excerpt provided to The Associated Press before last night's broadcast. "And the major issue is 'Why did he retire?' and 'He asked for a release because he doesn't want to play in Green Bay.' That's not true. And I hope people are hearing this and saying 'OK, that clears it up.'"

According to Van Susteren, who spoke to the AP by telephone yesterdayt afternoon, Favre said he was "never fully committed" to retiring and felt pressured by the Packers to make a decision, a notion Packers General Manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy tried to dispel in an interview with the AP on Saturday.

"Ted always wanted Brett back," McCarthy said. "We always wanted Brett back."

Van Susteren - who is from Appleton, Wis., is a Packers shareholder and previously had interviewed Favre and his wife, Deanna - said Favre made it clear he would not return to the Packers if he wasn't the starter.

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