On Sunday, January 20, 2008, Brett Favre played the last game of his NFL Career. On March 4th, he announced his retirement, declaring that he was not up for the challenge of competing for another Super Bowl. Sports commentators around the country prepared their 2013 NFL Hall of Fame ballot to include Brett Favre as a first-ballot inductee.
How could they not? He started every Packers game from 1992 to 2008, through physical injuries, emotional hardships and personal tragedies. The day after his father suffered a fatal heart attack, Favre went out to play football and passed for four touchdowns in the first half and 399 total yards in a 41–7 victory over the Raiders on Monday Night Football. He finished the game with a 154.9 passer rating – the highest of his career. A year later, his brother-in-law died in an ATV accident and his wife, Deanna, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then in 2005, his family’s home in Mississippi was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. Through all of this, Favre had an incredible 2007 season, breaking two passing TD records previously held by Dan Marino.
What a man. He will easily be a first-ballot inductee. Stop. Fast Forward to July, 2008. He wants an unconditional release from the Packers so he can play for another team? Brett Favre is coming back! And he’s going to help the QB-deprived Jets make the playoffs. Okay, Legacy still in-tact. Decent season, 9-7, but no playoffs.
On December 28th, 2008, Brett Favre played the last game of his NFL Career. He announced his retirement in Februrary and went back to Mississippi. And just when you think he’s going to go home disappointed, but still accomplished in his career as a whole, Favre calls another audible and undergoes arthroscopic surgery to repair his bicep tendons.
Oh no. He’s back. But this time, he’s back with a vengeance. 12-4. Made the NFC Championship game. He has only strengthened his legacy. On January 24th, 2010, Brett Favre played the last game of his NFL Career.
I bet Brett Favre wishes that statement were true. The year to come was the ultimate downfall of Brett Favre.
The Vikings are 6-10. He snapped his consecutive start streak not by retirement, but by injury. He was investigated for sexting with a Jets employee. On January 2nd, 2011, Brett Favre sat on the bench in the last game of his NFL Career.
He was a lock for the Hall of Fame, and there is no doubt in my mind that he is still a lock. However, the bad taste left from his horrendous 2010 season and the misconduct allegations may have cost him the first-ballot induction that he could have had. Although they don’t control the Hall of Fame voting, some younger fans may not even remember the career that Brett Favre had in Green Bay. Some people don’t even remember that he won a Super Bowl in Green Bay. History will look favorably upon him, but his return to the NFL has done more harm than good to his legacy. His comeback year in 2009 with the Vikings only proved that it is possible to play Quarterback at the age of 40. If he had retired then, the “Iron Man” that the Hall of Fame wanted to remember would have never rusted, but the 2010 season showed him for who he truly is, a fragile middle-aged man who won’t say good bye.
He could have retired in 2008 and left a 17 year legacy of victory and perseverance. Instead, The last image I have of Brett Favre playing football is his head being thrown into the ground by a Chicago lineman.