MILWAUKEE -- The Green Bay Packers have filed tampering charges against the Minnesota Vikings alleging that the team made inappropriate contact with Brett Favre, a person familiar with the Packers' complaint told The Associated Press Wednesday night.

"They feel like Favre had something (in place), and that's why he was so anxious to get his release all of a sudden," the person said.

The tampering charges were reported by Foxsports.com earlier Wednesday.

The person said the league already has reviewed evidence provided by the Packers, and team officials believe a league examination of telephone records will indicate more than "normal contact" between Favre and Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, a former Green Bay assistant. According to the person, Packers officials also believe the contact began before Favre and his agent, Bus Cook, formally asked the Packers to release him.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league had no comment on the report. Cook did not return a telephone message left by The Associated Press earlier Wednesday.

The tampering charges added a new twist to the Favre saga, which seemed to be over when Favre retired in early March, but now has been sizzling for several weeks.

Now, with Favre potentially headed back to an even chillier reception than the below-zero conditions in his last game at Lambeau Field when he makes a scheduled appearance at the Packers' Hall of Fame banquet this weekend, the next step in the iconic quarterback's plan to maneuver his way out of Green Bay is unclear.

Cook, told ESPN on Wednesday that he and Favre have "no definite plans to ask for reinstatement" and it was up to the Packers to decide what to do next.

"It's their move," Cook said.

Favre currently is on the Packers' reserve/retired list. To be reinstated, Favre must write a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Once that request is approved -- a step considered a formality -- the Packers would have to release Favre or place him on their active roster.

Favre was in Los Angeles for Wednesday night's taping of the ESPY Awards. Host Justin Timberlake zeroed in on Favre sitting in the audience with his wife, Deanna.

"What have you been up to lately? I haven't seen you anywhere," Timberlake said. "Just chillin'? Yeah, me too."

Later, Timberlake went into the seats to hug Favre's would-be successor Aaron Rodgers, the Packers' 2005 first-round draft choice. Favre sheepishly looked down with a slight smile on his face as the crowd laughed.

That's just the first of several awkward moments potentially on tap for Favre this weekend.

Favre is scheduled to present former teammate Frank Winters at the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame induction banquet at Lambeau Field on Saturday night. Winters, former Packers defensive tackle Gilbert Brown and video director Al Treml will be enshrined in the Packers' Hall of Fame.

Should Favre keep his commitment, his return to Lambeau will come a little more than a week after formally requesting to be released -- and only days after expressing his distrust of Packers management, insisting in an interview with Fox News on Monday that the team pressured him into making his retirement decision.

Favre could see some of the same folks he criticized in his trip back to Lambeau. He also might run into Packers offensive line coach James Campen, a former teammate who was dragged into the middle of the controversy this week.

In an unaired portion of Favre's interview with "On the Record With Greta Van Susteren," Favre apparently said Campen recently made an unexpected visit to his home in Mississippi and said he had "an answer" for Favre regarding his desire to unretire.

"He says, 'You know, I know they told you they're moving on and playing there's not an option,"' Favre said, according to a full transcript of the interview obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Playing here in Green Bay is not an option, which that's what they want. They want to move on. But I'm telling you, if you reinstate or you force their hand, back them in a corner, they feel like they have no other option, they're going to accept you back."'

"And he said, 'Just telling you.' And I said, 'OK.' "

In an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday, two days before Favre made his comments about Campen, Packers coach Mike McCarthy chastised the Favre camp for putting Campen in a "tough spot."

McCarthy said the Packers told Campen to visit Favre as a friend, not on behalf of the team, once they heard Favre was having second thoughts about retirement earlier in the offseason. McCarthy said it was Favre and his representatives, not the team, who turned Campen into an "intermediary" between Favre and the front office.

"I think he's totally, wrongly been illustrated in this," McCarthy said. "Ted would not even talk to Campen about this. He said, 'Hey, your personal relationship with Brett Favre is bigger than this, so don't ever put yourself in that position.' ... James was put in a tough spot. He was put in a situation that was purely personal."

• Chiefs sign draft pick Kevin Robinson: At Kansas City, Mo., the Chiefs agreed to three-year deals with draft picks Kevin Robinson and Brian Johnston on Wednesday. Terms of the contracts were not available.

Robinson, a receiver, was one of Kansas City's two sixth-round picks. He caught 178 passes for 2,485 yards in 46 games for Utah State. He set school records with 1,104 yards and four touchdowns on punt returns, and 2,725 yards and four touchdowns on kickoff returns.

Johnston, a defensive end, was one of the Chiefs' two seventh-round picks. He had 268 tackles and 21 sacks in four years at Gardner-Webb. He also forced 10 fumbles, recovered three, and blocked one kick.

• NFL steps up monitoring of players for gang signs: At New York, the NFL is stepping up its monitoring of on-field player activities to ensure that no one is flashing the hand signals of street gangs.

The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that the league had hired experts to look at game tapes and identify players or team officials who might be using suspected gang signals. Violators would be warned and disciplined if the episodes recurred.

League officials said Tuesday that avoiding gang-related activities has long been stressed.

They said the scrutiny was intensified after the shooting death of Denver cornerback Darrent Williams in 2007 after Williams was involved in a dispute with known gang members. Anti-gang information is included in orientation literature and stressed in the annual mandatory league meeting for rookies.

The NFL took further notice after Paul Pierce of the NBA's Boston Celtics was fined $25,000 in April for what the league said was a "menacing gesture" toward the Atlanta Hawks' bench. "I 100 percent do not in any way promote gang violence or anything close to it." Pierce said in a statement. "I am sorry if it was misinterpreted that way at Saturday's game."

The Times said that was the precipitating incident for the NFL.

"We were always suspicious that might be happening," it quoted Mike Pereira, the NFL's vice president of officiating, as saying of gang-related signals. "But the Paul Pierce thing is what brought it to light. When he was fined . . . that's when we said we need to take a look at it and see if we need to be aware of it."

Most senior NFL officials were at a league outing Tuesday and could not immediately be reached for comment.

• Ravens, Flacco agree to deal: At Owings Mills, Md., the Baltimore Ravens have agreed in principle to a five-year deal with first-round draft pick Joe Flacco on a contract with a maximum value of $30 million that includes $8.75 million in guaranteed money for the quarterback.

Flacco's agent, Joe Linta, confirmed the Wednesday night deal.

Drafted 18th overall out of Delaware, Flacco is slated to compete for the starting job with Troy Smith and Kyle Boller. Rookies, quarterbacks and injured veterans are scheduled to training camp Monday at McDaniel College in Westminster.