Mike Sherman is a terrific man

Incensed about being interrupted by some irresponsible douchebag reporter’s cell phone, Mike Sherman cut short a planned press conference, and then cancelled a later press appearance for Brett Favre.

The cell phone went off about 16 minutes into what is normally about a 25-minute news conference when Sherman was in the middle of answering a question about his defense.

“I don’t understand that,” Sherman, a former high school history teacher, said as he walked away from the podium in the media auditorium. “That stuff to me, to be honest with you, is a total lack of respect for each other. Forget me, you don’t have to respect me. But respect each other.”

The Packers were hoping peer pressure would result in the offending individual coming forward. But when that didn’t happen, Favre’s news conference was canceled for the first time since the Mike Holmgren era a decade ago when the former Packers coach tried to reel in his loquacious quarterback.

And no, this wasn’t just Mike Sherman flipping out because he’s 1-6 (as I was kinda hoping it was when I read the headline). Ringing cell phones have been an ongoing problem at Packers news conferences for some reason. Perhaps there isn’t much else to talk about in Wisconsin. A couple of weeks ago, some other idiot’s cell phone went off, and Sherman jumped all over the guy, saying that if a player was irresponsible enough to have his cell phone ring during a meeting, the media would be all over him.

It’s understandable that he’s so pissed… in fact, it’s damn noble. Act like you’re a professional, not some 10th grader who wants his friends to be impressed with his new Ryan Cabrera ringtone. Mike Sherman’s doing his job and addressing the media, and in that situation, reporters should be respectful and responsible enough to shut off their cell phones or do what I do… switch the phone to vibrate, place it under your balls, and pray for someone to call.

I’m still a little sensitive about it myself, after seeing a damn trick-or-treater taking candy out of a bowl while talking on a cell phone. I like what Sherman did, but I wish he’d have taken an approach more similar to what would happen if a player’s cell phone did go off in a meeting.

Sherman has long banned cell phones in meetings.

“That’s a big-time no-no,” long snapper Rob Davis said. “Big-time. Really, really bad.”

What would happen?

“You’d get punched in the face,” offensive coordinator Tom Rossley said. “Everybody in the room gets to punch you in the face.