Now that the Lance Briggs tampering affair has been put to bed, a couple of previously unreported facts have surfaced.

The controversy is believed to have started when Briggs' agent Drew Rosenhaus asked the 49ers if they were interested in the Chicago Bears linebacker in the course of a normal agent-team discussion. Many discussions followed.

A league source said when the NFL asked Rosenhaus to testify on the matter, he refused.

The Bears were upset because they were trying to use the Oct. 16 trade deadline as an incentive for Briggs to sign with them. But it became more difficult to sign Briggs when he had the 49ers blowing him kisses.

The 49ers were docked a fifth-round draft pick and forced to trade third-round picks with the Bears (the Bears will now have the seventh pick in the round and the 49ers will have the 12th) mostly because the tampering occurred in the middle of the season.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is said to have been frosted because the covert discussions occurred at a time when games could have been affected.

An NFL source said the 49ers' punishment probably would have been more severe and the Bears would have received more if Briggs had not re-signed with the Bears in the off-season.

The 49ers still were interested in Briggs as a free agent in February. Coach Mike Nolan said defensive end was a bigger priority, so the team signed Justin Smith instead of going after Briggs. However, Nolan also said if the Bears had not signed Briggs on March 3, it is likely the 49ers would have pursued him the following week.