Danny Harp, football and track teammate: During track season our coach told us to sit down and take a rest. We got to talking about what we wanted to do when we grew up. When it came to Ted, he said, 'When I grow up I'm going to be the general manager of the Green Bay Packers or the New York Yankees.' That's exactly what he said. We all laughed, and he looked at us like, 'I'm not kidding.'
Thompson does not recall a specific conversation with Harp about the Packers but acknowledges it could be true. He made a similar statement when Bob Harlan hired him as general manager in 2005. "It's almost a dream-come-true-type job," he said at the time. "You think about, when you're a young kid, some of the things you'd like to do when you grow up and you think maybe manager of the New York Yankees or maybe the general manager of the Green Bay Packers. So it's a thrill, it's an honor."