With Linux 3.4-rc7 doing `make menuconfig` and going to Device Drivers → Network Device support → Ethernet driver support, I am unable to disable Broadcom and Chelsio devices. -*- Broadcom devices < > Broadcom 440x/47xx ethernet support {M} Broadcom NetXtremeII support {M} Broadcom CNIC support < > Broadcom Tigon3 support < > Broadcom NetXtremeII 10Gb support [ ] Brocade devices < > Calxeda 1G/10G XGMAC Ethernet driver -*- Chelsio devices < > Chelsio 10Gb Ethernet support {*} Chelsio Communications T3 10Gb Ethernet support {*} Chelsio Communications T4 Ethernet support < > Chelsio Communications T4 Virtual Function Ethernet support As you can see Kconfig also marks the top item differently from for example the item Brocade devices. I also cannot disable the subitems and only choose between compiling them into the kernel or as a module.
I cannot reproduce this problem. Do you already have a .config file that menuconfig is using? The curly braces {M} or {*} mean that some other config option has 'selected' these config symbols. I.e., some other driver needs these pieces to be enabled also.