Say It Ain't So, Brett!

Every year a number of men decide to sacrifice their reputations and their careers because they can't control their twisted desires. Senator John Ensign, Governor Mark Sanford and Coach Rick Pitino have admitted to sexual dalliances outside their marriages, and just like that, they've ruined their reputations and the lives of their families. So what does this have to do with Brett Favre? The guy is a devoted family man who supported his wife Deanna during her bout with breast cancer. He leads a simple life living in Mississippi while raising two kids.

Yet Favre is having a love affair...with HIMSELF! Brett Favre the person has fallen in love with Brett Favre the football player, and he's not going to end that affair, no matter the cost.
Or as Sports Illustrated columnist Jon Heyman said on AMRadio 570:
"Brett Favre is the biggest liar in professional sports, next to Nick Saban."

Let me add that he's one of the most indecisive human beings on the planet, willing to destroy a loyal fan base while holding his teams hostage to his whims. Those are strange words for me to write: "his teams." Except for a brief stint with Atlanta, Favre has always been about one team: The Green Bay Packers. Now its not about any team, its about HIMSELF.

In 1992 I was fortunate to get the assignment of covering the Packers for a small radio station in Wisconsin. Despite the arrival of a new coach (Mike Holmgren) and a new GM (Ron Wolf) the team started out 0-2. It looked like another loss was on the way when QB Don Majkowski went down with an injury and newcomer Favre was brought in to face Boomer Esiason and the Bengals. Favre tossed two TDs including a 35 yarder to Kitrick Taylor with 16 seconds left. The Packers won 24-23 and just like that, a golden era of Packer football was born. Now that era is dead and so is Favre's legacy with the team.

After the game I asked Favre what it felt like to be thrust into the game on a moment's notice.
"I was shaking. I felt like I'd taken a laxative. Thank god I held it until afterward."
The down-to-earth, everyman quality reflected in those remarks was another reason the state of Wisconsin adored the man who would win three MVP awards and a Super Bowl. I think every football fan admired his toughness. In November of 1992 Favre went down with a shoulder injury against Philadelphia. He stayed in the game to lead his team to a 27-24 victory. Afterwards he couldn't tie his shoes or drive his car. Yet he played the next week and every week after that in a streak that is now 291 consecutive starts since that fateful victory over the Bengals.

After 1992 I began a streak of my own and made sure I saw at least one Packer game a year for the next 10 seasons, a tough thing to do after I moved back to California. That was the kind of devotion Favre inspired and that's why his recent decisions have brought so much pain to the Packer faithful. Favre's relationship with the team began to deteriorate after the 2005 season, his worst in the NFL. He waited until April 2006 before confirming that he would return for another year. Keep in mind its hard for a team to plan for the annual draft when they don't know if their top player is coming back. In March 2008 he tearfully announced his retirement before going back on his word and forcing a trade to the New York Jets. That's when his indecisiveness became their problem. The Jets traded QB Chad Pennington and he led Miami to the playoffs while Favre and the Jets sat home and watched.

This year Favre has actually announced his retirement TWICE! In February to the Jets and in July to the Vikings, one of the Packers fiercest rivals. Yet there he is, practicing with Minnesota and getting ready to play Green Bay twice in the upcoming season. I know one thing. Those games will be the highest rated TV games of the regular season and I don't know if I can bring myself to watch.

Why are you doing this, Brett? To get revenge on Packer GM Ted Thompson for not taking you back? To make an easy $12 million without going through training camp? To keep your glorious games-played streak alive? I think you're doing it for LOVE. Not of the game, not for the glory but for the love of yourself. And that's not a good enough reason!