<a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j881zhPHuB5JUaZnX0PrPiHBTdagD92D8F1O0">Seriously.</a>
You go from instant hall of famer and Green Bay savior with streets named after you - to a whiny little weasel, who lied to a city and league officials, while screwing up the pre-season atmosphere for your teammates who loved you.
If it was about the money, then you should have taken the 2 million per year for the next 10 years Green Bay offered you, if you just <b> did not show up</b> to training camp. But just to be a jerk, you showed up anyway. Late.
If it was about playing more football so you could break more records to boost your ego, then you should not have retired.
This guy is the face of the NFL (At least <a href="http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/08/07/ea-madden-brett-favre/"> Madden '09</a>) and people wonder what's wrong with the league?
Jerry Rice's last team? Broncos.
Joe Namath? Rams.
Joe Montana? Chiefs.
I bet it <i>is</i> about the money because $17M, or whatever he's making this year plus endorsements and the inevitable next year as well, is way more than the $20M "stay retired" package. I think it <i>is</i> about the fact that Favre is untrained to do anything else in life than throw a football, and the daunting task of having to run to a car dealership horrified him.
Oh yeah, we definitely have the Madden Curse in effect, all right. Jets are going 6-10. And if Pennington goes to some NFC team, I'll say it right now: that team makes the playoffs.
And Brett Favre is in no way the face of the NFL. That would be Peyton Manning.
So it's about the money?
I guess he can make more playing than not playing and heading a car dealership. But who wants to go 6 and 10 for the Jets, get booed in Jersey, and have effigies of youself burned from Evanston to St. Paul? Money doesn't heal those wounds does it?
Why yes, I believe it does.
But that's where he went wrong. What a dufus-brain and an unfortunate drama scene for the Packers going into pre-season with their new QB. As far as the Jets, good fucking luck to them...they're still going to suck even with Bret.
<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/8422668/Favre-can't-win-when-it-comes-to-office-politics">Interesting read.</a>
I understand that some people just love what they do, but I'm continually surprised by the number of people who claim they wouldn't want to retire at an early age. They usually say they need to "keep busy" or something like that. But, couldn't you keep busy by doing volunteer work or taking up a hobby, or even just being the neighborhood crackpot?
It's especially surprising with sports figures. If I had the talent and training to be an extravagantly-paid sports star, I think I would play one or two years, then retire. I know that these guys often are immersed in sports, and it's their lives, and they don't know anything else, etc. So, I wouldn't expect to see this often, but I'm surprised that this has never happened even once as far as I know.
Jim Brown?
I think Jim Brown quit because it was down to either football or acting, and he chose the (Hollywood) money.