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Farewell to Brett Favre

I cried like a baby today and I am not ashamed to say that. After all, a football hero has decided to hang up his helmet. For those of us who have watched Number 4 grow, both as a person, and an incredible quarterback, we are saddened by the recently announced news of his retirement.

He always made games interesting.

From the early days when you’d want to throw things at the TV when he made one of his now-famous interceptions, through the return-to-glory years of our Super Bowls, to the Oakland game when he played his heart out for his father, Erv, who had just passed away, to the last playoff game against the New York Giants, when we watched a very traumatic loss, he has made it exciting.

My daughter and her husband were fortunate enough to go to that game. She called the next day to say it was so hard to take, his last play being an interception that regrettably led to a Giants’ victory. She lamented that it was a tough way to end the year. We talked yesterday and she said she now will only remember it as “Brett’s last game.”

I wrote a blog a while back on my affection for the Green Bay Packers, and that love affair has been going on since the 1950s when Starr, Taylor, Hornung, McGee, Kramer, Nitschke, and the rest, who were stars that shone under the super-coach, Vince Lombardi. My love for the team will continue and I will, of course, never miss a game (much to hubby’s chagrin at times.)

But there will be an empty place for years to come. In Favre’s one hour farewell speech, he wished Aaron Rodgers the best of luck and said he was very talented, and his ‘own man’, with his own style. He felt confident Rodgers will do a great job for the team. That may well be the case and we all will be supportive. But it will not be the same.

Brett had a very difficult time giving his speech. In the beginning, he broke down several times, saying he had ‘promised not to be emotional.’ Well, he is a far better person than I am if he could walk away after 17 years without a tear. They did not show the faces in the audience but you could hear sniffling and clearing of throats.

As has always been his style, he gave credit to the managers and coaching staff, trainers and team mates, saying he dislikes it when the media says “he won 160 games.” He emphasized the team won them, not just the q-back.

He talked about his tragedies that seemed to bring his family closer together and how the love and support of fans and players helped them through it. He talked about his charity involvement and felt it was amazing, not how much he had given them, but what these people had given him. Another hanky please.

When you consider all the the negativities in sports today, players with possible chemical abuse, some gambling, cruelty to animals and such, you know for sure that Old Number 4 was a terrific role model for the youth of today. He came from a ‘blue-collar’ background, just one of the guys in a pick-up truck, drinking a brew on a Saturday night.

Played football through childhood, finished college and got picked in the NFL draft. His first experience was not so hot, he was “over-served” on occasion and slept too late for meetings and even missed the team photo. Then the Packers took him on and he felt at home.

He mentioned several times in his “farewell speech” that he loved the people of Green Bay, Wisconsin and what they had meant to him and his family. They supported him, loved him, and were there for him. He also expressed feelings for the love of his life, Deanna, childhood sweetheart, wife, mother of his two daughters. She has been with Brett since high school, saw him score his first touchdown, and always at his side for this incredible ride.

Through the course of his speech, he stated over and over again that this was a rough and final decision. He believes he will take some time off and do simply “nothing” until there is something he’d like to do. He was not sure if it would be in football; he has never had another career.

He certainly touched all of us with his sincerity, honesty, and still-boyish charm. He will be missed. But I, for one, am thankful for all the fantastic memories, the ups and downs and in-betweens. He was and is a class act.

Thank You Brett

(I understand that Brett’s memorabilia is in super-hot demand. There may be some folks who will take advantage of the desire for these sporting collectibles and I urge caution when purchasing any sports item; be sure the dealer is reputable to insure the articles are legitimate.)