On September 8th, Brett Favre's number is set to be retired at Lambeau field during half time of the Packers' regular season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. It was expected to be a wonderful momentous and emotional occasion. The organizers probably have a video ready with triumphant music to complement scenes of touch down passes flung to receivers in driving snow. There would probably be some mention that the former number four is the only three-time AP MVP in NFL history, along with a list of other NFL records: 442 TD passes, 61,655 passing yards, and 253 consecutive starts as a quarterback.
Favre was expected to stand there in compliance. But the circumstances might be different now that Brett has begun talking about reinstatement and has expressed interest in possibly being traded to a team like Minnesota. Imagine Mr. Favre, not sitting tearfully in the stands, but on the field wearing a purple uniform and plotting to deliver Green Bay a merciless spanking. Picture the Packers down by four touchdowns at half time; that might put a damper on the jersey retirement ceremony. It's funny unless you're a Green Bay fan.
This situation reminds me of a man named Earl Cheney, he's no celebrity QB, just a blue collar every day guy. Earl worked for the maintenance dept. of a school district and had been there 30 years. As a veteran of the Second World War, Mr. Cheney had once jumped onto a burning tank in North Africa - or something like that - yeah, you know the story. Anyways, the man commanded respect from everyone he encountered and that wasn't a problem because everyone liked him. The custodians never complained when Earl made a mess, because "at least he fixed the blasted thing."
When Earl retired, his co-workers threw a party with balloons, a cake, and gifts. His wife was there, kids, grandkids too. Two weeks later, Earl was back working part-time. A month after the party, Mr. Cheney was reinstated as a full time employee. No one would admit it, but a lot of people were a little ticked off, maybe because of the party and the gifts.
The point I'm getting at is that Earl, much like Brett Favre, was drowning in the ennui of retirement. The easy chair wasn't so easy anymore and those lazy summer afternoons had become some bizarre, unlikely brand of torture. Is it really over? Now what? Fishing? Golf? The former grunge outfit, Nirvana, has a track called "All Apologies," this song takes off with the line: "What else should I be." The lyrics, "married, buried" are repeated in succession. Think about it.
When Brett Favre retired, he did what he thought he should do, what other people wanted him to do, but it never seemed right to him. They say forty's the new 20 and the man's only 38; much too young for retirement in most cases, but of course pro sports are a different matter. It might be a thrill and possibly even therapeutic for Favre to cause this media circus instead of quietly filing into the black and white pages of the Hall of Fame. Going on Fox News and calling Packers GM Ted Thompson a liar can satisfy frustrations that 18 holes of golf cannot.
The problem is that the Packers have every right to deny Favre the starting quarterback position. Brett willingly retired and it's not fair to the psychology of the team if Favre is placed back at the helm. But it's also not fair of Green Bay's management to deny his release to another franchise. The fans are angry, mostly at Brett.
Columnist Mike Woods of the Green Bay Press-Gazette wrote that "over the years, Brett has shown that, when under pressure, he has a propensity to make bad decisions." Woods went on to say: "who does this guy think he is?" Many disparaging remarks about Favre can be found online from the public that reads the Press-Gazette. Some fans have accused Brett of deliberately trying to sabotage the Packers.
I don't believe that Mr. Favre wants to sabotage the Packers season, I think that he just wants to play football. In Favre's mind, "quarterback" defines who he is and quitting was just too unbearable. Brett understands that Green Bay has issues with putting him back in as a starter, but management won't release him for fear that his skills might become a threat to the organization if used by another team, namely Minnesota, or God forbid: Chicago. If Favre wants to play pro football again, he should be allowed to on his own terms. The Packers think they own his legacy; but Brett's legacy is his business. Believe it or not, he doesn't owe the cheese heads anything.
If you look up Brett Favre on Wikipedia.com, you'll see that they dedicate a whole paragraph to December 22, 2003. This contest with the Raiders is considered his greatest game ever. The day before this game, Brett's father died of a heart attack while driving, his car settled in a ditch outside Favre's boyhood home in Mississippi. When Favre threw for 399 yards in a 41-7 victory over Oakland, how do you think he did that? Did he do it for the fair weather fans?
This stellar performance was not in any way dedicated to the fine folks of Wisconsin, it had nothing to do with Packer Pride or the avaricious shareholders and agents or the swarms of dimwit journalists that make their livings criticizing athletes because they can't be one. Brett was probably thinking about how unfortunate it is that people have to die and that you can't talk to them anymore and that angels playing harps doesn't make a whole lot of sense, not to mention a stream of other unjust realities that no one can do anything about let alone try to explain. So f*k it, I'll just launch four touchdown passes in the first half.