So here is my advice-

• Do not ever talk to the media again Favre
• Just play the sport, no comments about retirement
• Or when you think you cannot play anymore, cut out your voice box

“We have been made aware of a situation involving Lance Stephenson early Sunday morning in Brooklyn,” Pacers president Larry Bird said in a statement released from the team. “We are currently in the process of gathering information and will have further comments as we learn more facts.”

Stephenson’s agent, Al Ebanks, did not return a phone message Sunday.

Stephenson’s incident is a hard blow to the Pacers because they’ve spent years trying to repair their negative off-the-court image with the fan base.

They raised eyebrows by drafting Stephenson in June. A schoolboy legend in New York City, he played one year at Cincinnati and fell to the Pacers with the 40th pick overall, in the second round of the draft.

After an impressive showing in the Orlando summer league, the Pacers decided to sign him to a guaranteed contract, even though they weren’t obliged to with a second-round pick. He received a two-year contract with an option on the third and fourth years.

Sunday wasn’t the first time Stephenson has had a run-in with the law.

Stephenson was charged with sexual abuse for allegedly groping a girl at a bus stop near his high school in New York his senior year. The charge was dismissed and he ended up pleading to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct.

The Pacers supposedly did their homework on Stephenson before drafting him in June. They hired a private investigator to do a thorough background check on Stephenson and his family.

That trip by members of the now-defunct Orange Pride group may have been one of the things that prompted the NCAA to start turning over rocks, but it’s mushroomed into something much bigger now. For Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton to admit that a letter of inquiry is probably coming, that’s telling. The unnerving thing for Hamilton and the rest of the university is that there’s no way to know at this point what the NCAA has or what all has turned up in its probe.

This thing has been going on for nearly six months, and the latest news is that the NCAA wants to interview former Tennessee running back Bryce Brown, who was Kiffin’s most heralded recruit in the Vols’ 2009 class. Browns’ father, Arthur Brown, told ESPN’s Joe Schad that they asked to delay that meeting with the NCAA while preparing for Brown’s appeal on his release, an appeal that was heard via teleconference on Wednesday. Current Tennessee coach Derek Dooley refused to release Brown from his scholarship, meaning he would have to pay his own way this first year at Kansas State, which is where Brown’s older brother plays.

When the Vols signed Brown, a showy deal that dragged out well past signing day, you could almost guess that the NCAA would come snooping around at some point. Remember, Brown had an “adviser” at the time (Brian Butler), and Butler initially was charging for updates concerning Brown’s recruitment on a website. Before Brown was cleared to play at Tennessee as a freshman, the NCAA looked into whether his amateur status had been violated.

Well, here we are now — some 16 months after Brown ended his recruiting circus by signing with the Vols — and neither Brown nor Kiffin is still around.

The NCAA hasn’t gone anywhere, though, which makes you wonder what kind of price Tennessee might end up having to pay.

The NBA likely will rule today on whether to void Thomas’ new consulting contract.

“I think it’s better if there’s separation of both,” said Duke’s legendary coach. “I don’t think it would be good if the Bulls tried to hire me as a consultant. Just because I don’t think it’s right to [UNC coach] Roy Williams and the rest of the guys in our league to have a college coach do that. It’s best served to have the pros, then there’s college.”

Krzyzewski pointed out yet another conflict of interest that had not been reported. NBA teams often call college coaches before the draft to get their take on players.

“We’re [unofficial] consultants to the pros before the draft,” Coach K said. “Teams call us, what do you think of this, or that. It’s better to have it like that. If the Warriors call you, you can tell them. If the Knicks call, you can tell them.”

Team USA assistant Jim Boeheim of Syracuse was also steadfastly against the Isiah contract.

“It’s a conflict either way, from college or from the NBA,” Boeheim said. “I don’t understand why it wouldn’t be. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Krzyzewski added, “It’s like high school coach Bob Hurley doing something for me. It’s best separated.”

*

Knicks officially announced signing of Spurs free agent G Roger Mason Jr . . . NBA also announced full schedul,e and in Knick press release highlighting big Garden games, did not mention LeCon James’ two visits (Dec. 17, Jan. 27).

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/coach_consultant_isiah_bad_deal_sqgjbQG3NnRXTK85So4MCN#ixzz0wJ1CjZF1

Expect at least eight new starters this season, most of whom don’t have much starting experience. None is bigger than quarterback Matt Moore, who is 6-2 as a starter and has thrown 11 touchdowns and three interceptions in those games.

As center Ryan Kalil said to me, “He earned it and deserves to lead this team.”

That may be true, but he will need the continued support of Carolina’s vaunted rushing attack. DeAngelo Williamsand Jonathan Stewart, who became the first pair of teammates last year to rush for more than 1,100 yards in the same season, have provided the Panthers with 45 combined rushing touchdowns in the last two seasons. That kind of production will be crucial to Moore’s — and the Panthers’ — success.

Moore is going to open up the deep passing game, which should make Carolina effective if it can throw with a lead. If this young team has to spread it out and play from behind things could be tough.

As for the defense, it only returns 18 sacks and must find ways to manufacture a pass rush without Peppers.

OBSERVATION DECK

» Coach John Fox and his entire staff are in the last years of their contracts, but you wouldn’t know it because everything around here is upbeat and intense.

Carolina practices in pads with a lot of contact, and none of the young players complain. In fact, as Jon Beasonsaid, “We are building our new identity as a tough team, and these practices help get it done.

» Rookie Jimmy Clausen is a good looking prospect, but he isn’t ready to threaten Moore for the starting job.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

» The Panthers face the difficult task of having to replace six starters on their No. 8 defense from last season. The torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered by linebacker Thomas Davis – for the second time — is a big blow to the unit.

The secondary is solid, but the loss of Chris Harris, who left to Chicago, hurts because he lined everyone up and made the adjustments. It’s time for Sherrod Martin to step up.

» I talked with injured offensive tackle Jeff Otah and wide receiver Steve Smith, and they confirmed that they will be back for the regular season. In the meantime Geoff Schwartz and Brandon LaFell, respectively, are getting tons of experience and may both win starting jobs at other positions when the injured players return.

ROOKIE REPORT

» Clausen works predominantly with the backups and demonstrates good football intelligence. He is working on his mechanics, especially in throwing the slant route. He threw a few on Monday that were on the receivers’ back shoulders. Clausen will be a good player in time, but there’s lots of work to do right now.

» LaFell is the talk of camp. He is threatening to start and has the ability to get off press coverage and snatch balls out of the air.

» Third-rounder Armanti Edwards is a very popular figure in the Carolinas after his exploits at Appalachian State. He is in the midst of transitioning from quarterback to wide receiver/return specialist. He’s done neither before but has the athletic ability to thrive in both areas. Edwards will make the team, but he may not win a spot on the 53-man roster to start the year.

» Eric Norwood, who was selected in the fourth round, is a former college defensive end struggling to learn all of his pass drops. One thing he can do, though, is rush the passer and should probably get in on situational pass plays. Norwood reminds me a bit of Elvis Dumervil.

» Sixth-round quarterback Tony Pike is one of four quarterbacks in Panthers camp under 26 years of age, and he is getting the fewest reps in practice. That’s a bad sign.

» Safety Jordan Pugh, taken in the sixth round, has a few coaches impressed with him enough to say he has a good chance to make the team because of his quickness, agility, balance, and speed.

SAY WHAT?

“Yeah, we see nine-in-the-box looks, especially if Steve Smith is not on the field. But we believe we can run it anyway.”

– Panthers center Ryan Kalil

EXTRA POINTS

I like the Panthers to build on their late-season success last year, when they went 4-1 with Moore under center and averaged 23 points a game. Fox may do his best coaching job in years, but few will accept that when they wind up as a .500 team.

Tar Heel Sport and Carolina Panthers Looking Better Already

Evel Knievel tried to jump the Snake River Canyon. David Copperfield tried to make 747s disappear. I’m going to try to defend Lane Kiffin.

To read the columnists, Kiffin, USC’s new head football coach, apparently eats poached children for breakfast, sticks sharp things in the eyes of the elderly and drowns kittens for laughs.

Kiffin is the most hated man in football right now, by a par 5. If he met Tony Hayward right now, Hayward would go, “Come on, man! Have you seen what they’re writing about you?”

Atlanta Journal-Constitution writer Mark Bradley has called him a “brat” and a “jerk.” ESPN.com’s Gene Wojciechowski called him a fraud, an egomaniac and a two-faced weasel. Former San Francisco Chronicle columnist Ray Ratto says “you would Wite-Out Pol Pot’s name to hate [Kiffin].” (Ratto prefers the guy who murdered around 2 million Cambodians.)

So when you meet him, you expect to at least see a “666″ shaved in his hairline. Instead, what you get is a tall, slender, friendly 35-year-old with the very odd combination of baby fat in his cheeks and gray hair on the sides of his head. “Got that in Oakland/Alameda,” he says, reminding you he once worked for Al Davis, who called him a “liar” who was “bringing disgrace to the organization.” When you’re accused of disgracing the graceless Raiders, you’ve done something.

ARE you reading what they’re writing about you?

“Sure,” he says. “I have to, just to see what’s coming next. But it doesn’t bother me.”

Psychotherapy?

“Nope.”

So what makes Kiffin the worst human being since Judas? Let us count the ways:

1. They say he has the manners of a hungover raccoon.

He stands accused of not calling Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher for permission to talk to Titans running backs coach Kennedy Pola (Troy Polamalu’s uncle). Pola took the job, causing Fisher to blow a gungalator, and call out Kiffin as “less than professional.” Then the Titans sued Kiffin and USC for “unlawfully” trying to lure Pola away.

Sued!

The lawsuit is phonier than Tori Spelling, of course. Pola, who played at USC and has a son who’s going to walk on there, was the only one legally obligated to ask permission, not Kiffin. It would’ve been nice for Kiffin to do it, “but not everybody asks the head coach first when they’re looking for an assistant,” Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh said Thursday.

USC says that Kiffin called Pola first and said, “Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll call Coach Fisher and let him know we’re talking to you.” But Pola got wrapped up in the decision, according to USC: Stayed up all that Friday night and didn’t call Kiffin back until he’d already talked to Fisher on Saturday. By then it was too late.

OK, slightly poor form by Kiffin. Big whoop. Happens every day in football. The suit is just a ticket ploy. After all, what better way to sell Titans seats than letting everybody in Tennessee know how much the Titans hate Kiffin, like everybody else in the state? Kiffin bolted the head-coaching job at the University of Tennessee to come to USC in the first place. Maybe the ad slogan will be: “Come to the games and we can all hate him together!”

But if you think the state of Tennessee is ever going to sit a jury and hold a trial on this one, then Scopes is a monkey. When I asked Kiffin if he’d patched it up with Fisher, he said, “Yeah, I think he has a better understanding of what happened.”

So why doesn’t he drop the suit?

“Because he’s not suing me. The Titans are. And it’s not really about Jeff and I.”

What’s it about?

“It’s about where the lawsuit is located.”

Exactly.

2. They say he’s disloyal.

He stiffed Tennessee after only one 7-6 season. He told Rocky Top he’d be with them through thick and thin. Even middle-named his son “Knox,” short for Knoxville. But Kiffin coached six seasons at USC as an assistant and considered the head-coaching gig his dream job. So when Pete Carroll suddenly bolted USC (Hey, anybody naming a sewage treatment plant in L.A. after Carroll?), he jumped at it.