The Brett Favre Saga has become the stuff of Soap Opera Drama
Andrew Melkonian | Nov 09, 2009 | Comments 8
In my closet at home, I have a dark green football jersey hanging that hasn’t been worn since January 2008. That was the last time the Green Bay Packers went to the NFC Championship game. That was also the last postseason game for the franchise. That was also the last time Brett Favre played for the Packers. My jersey has a number four on the back of it.
A lot has happened since I last wore that jersey. The Packers, my favorite NFL franchise, have had a tough year and a half. Favre is on his second team in two years and is having one of his best years ever, and I can’t stand it. The man who was once an icon to me is now nothing but a child who retires when he doesn’t like the situation he is in so he can play for someone else.
Now, before I go into more detail about my feelings, I must acknowledge some things. I know that Favre wanted out of Green Bay because of General Manager Ted Thompson and his stupidity. Ted Thompson refused to go after big free agents and elect to use the draft to better his team. Ted Thompson basically chased Favre out of the city that considered him their favorite son.
My problem is, why did Favre feel it necessary to retire, come back, retire and come back again? Why did he retire after one year with the New York Jets and put everyone in the sport on edge with one of the most crucially watched off-seasons of all-time? I guess he didn’t like the set-up in New York and bolted. He probably took so damn long in the offseason to officially play for the Vikings (we knew he was going to end up there) because Favre hates offseason workouts more than I hate listening to Larry Johnson call his coaches gay. Favre should have just told the truth and condemn Thompson to the Packer brass. I’m sure the Packers would have listened to the greatest player in their whole entire franchise. The way he left the Packers is better than them forcing him out — which Thompson did — but he should have said he was looking to play some more instead of crying and saying he doesn’t know if he wants to anymore.
One of the hardest things I had ever watched was when Favre announced that he was basically retiring after a Sunday night game against the Bears in the last game of the 2006 season. His post-game interview moved me to tears. Then, like MJ, Favre just couldn’t stay away after retiring for more than two times. Then there was his great 2007 season. Then there was what I thought would be the last goodbye, but it wasn’t, and he tarnished his legacy.
Sometimes players need to have someone make sure that they stay in line and hold up to their decisions. If Favre doesn’t win a Super Bowl this year (and I hope he doesn’t) then the season will be a bust and all he would have done is beat his old team twice. Oh, I guess he got his revenge on Thompson. Maybe that’s all he wanted. Screw that love of the game crap. It’s all about giving Thompson that proverbial middle finger.
I must admit that I was more of a Favre fan than a Packer fan. I refuse, however, to be a band wagoner and follow a better team. To me, Favre’s only saving grace will be if once he finally decides to retire (for good), that he signs a one-day contract with Green Bay and retires as a Packer. I hope he doesn’t hold a grudge against Green Bay forever.
That green and white number four jersey will be retired in the Packer’s Hall of Fame. Let’s just hope there are no more hard feelings.
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I just don’t understand the lines like “Tarnished his legacy” this is a game, if you can play an you are good and teams want you to play for them how is that a tarnished legacy? I guess because most men have become gelded and see sports as a surrogate to release their battle instinct. This isn’t like a general in the military defecting to another nation, this is a game, and unless you are a consumate cheater like Pete Rose is fails to register to this mind as to how a legacy can be tarnished playing a game.
This article represents the standard boilerplate of mudslinging on Favre, although I appreciate the highlighting of TT’s incompetence. The adjectives of “childish” are simply out of place and really apply to people who write such rubbish.
“Sometimes players need to have someone make sure that they stay in line and hold up to their decisions.” Oh? Is this a matter of life and death? Will the universe implode? Will a hundred people in the Middle East die because of a suicide bomber? Or is sports merely a pasttime–and a self-correcting one, where when someone can’t play the game anymore they end up released–because they can’t play the game? And when Brett’s seventy, will he ever have another opportunity to come back and address the what-ifs again? I mean, are you so certain of reincarnation, or does a man need to make the most of his time when he has it? And would you deprive we fans in Minnesota of OUR chance to win a Super Bowl out of your own spite? I don’t hear anyone “spoiled” when I hear Brett Favre–I see someone who honors our franchise by giving us our chance in exchange for giving him another. Yet I hear plenty of spoiled Green Bay fans like yourself, looking anywhere but in the mirror to avoid your on culpability in not rising up in rebellion against Thompson and his petty regime. Win it all, or lose in a game last try, count most of us here in Minnesota as grateful for whatever Brett Favre can give. Something those in green and gold can’t say.
There are two well known Packers (who won more championships that Favre) who waffled just as bad… Taylor did it four times!!! He left the pack because they didn’t want him and he wanted the Vikes. He left the Jets,…because he still wanted the vikes….
After reading the recently published ESPN article quoting Ted Thompson “I could see Brett and I being best friends someday or at least golfing buddies”, Brett sent Ted the following text message “Ted, sorry about ruining your season, its just business ya know. Good luck in all your future endeavors. –BFF TTFN”
Excited, Ted replied back to the message, “Thanks Brett I am glad we can put this behind us, is there any way we can make a press announcement together showing everyone we have buried the hatchet?” to which Favre replied back “You dumbass, BFF TTFN doesn’t stand for Best Friends Forever Ta Ta For Now, it stands for Brett Favre Forever Ted Thompson For Now!
Why does anyone care who retires and how many times they come back? If you don’t have anything else to write about…keep quiet…really! You are one of those people who complain about nothing and then act like it’s a major crime. Stop your crying….really! Articles like yours are the the reason no one can stand to hear about Farve anymore. Anyone who REALLY loves the game of football thinks it’s great Farve is playing…if he goes belly up and comes back next year more power to him. It’s not because of him it’s because of the medias moaning, groaning and throwing tantrums through articles like this one….THIS is what people are really sick of…..grow up….Really!
Your first few questions you answer yourself in your third & fourth paragraphs.
But then you kinda go off the deep end, at the end of your fourth paragraph you say that what Favre SHOULD HAVE done (what you would have doen?) was something far worse than the course he actually took. You said Favre should have just publicly said that he hated Thompson, would not play for him, and make the fans choose between the two?!? Wow, thank god favre was more mature than that. THAT woudlhave been awful.
Then in the fifth paragraph you go and say something that isn’t even true — that Favre said after that Chicago game he was retiring. Uh, he cried, and he posed for a foto with his o-linemen, but he never said he was retiring. Why are you making things up.
I didn’t read past that point I confess.
It is time to grow up and get over it. Writing this article makes you look like the sad. Favre can do whatever he wants it is his life. Why should you care anyway.
Tarnished his legacy? Who care’s every one will die one day what difference does it make, Are you the gate checker in heaven?
Grow up and get your own life. Stop babbling nonsense. “he should retire if he says he wants too” I just can;t take it if he don’t. Get your own life.