On Friday, ProFootballTalk also published the rumor.
"Per various media outlets including USA Today, Brett Favre is rumored to be a candidate for the next season of Dancing with the Stars," it said on the site.
Where did these rumors come from? Who are the various media outlets?
Quickish's Dan Shanoff took the time to follow the "paper trail", and it brought him to Rob Shuter’s interview with Kurt Warner on AOL's PopEater. In the interview, Shuter asked Warner which NFL player should join next season’s cast.
"Let me think on what old retired NFL guy should join the show. Brett Favre. That's a good idea," Warner said. "Plus, controversy is good for ratings."
This quote is where the rumors began.
From this quote, a Bleacher Report writer crafted an article saying that Warner wanted to see Farve on the hit show. Never in this article did the writer mention the word "rumor" or say that ABC was planning to approach the quarterback.
But KCCI Des Moines did.
Citing the Bleacher Report article, KCCI reported that "there are rumors that ABC is considering approaching the quarterback to be on a future season of Dancing with the Stars."
From there, USA Today and ProFootballTalk picked up the story, as well as many other media outlets.
Shanoff clicked through the links in each story and did some minor detective work to find that it was just "a game of 'Telephone.'"
Ironically, in the original article with the quote that started it all, Shuter quotes a show insider who explains that it isn't likely that Favre would ever dance with the stars.
"No way would Dancing want any part of Brett," the source told Shuter. "They love having colorful people in the cast, but you have to remember this is a family show and not the right fit for someone who has been accused of e-mailing private photos of himself to young ladies."
