… an era comes to a close…
The words every Packer fan has dreaded for the past few years was uttered today… “Brett Favre Retires“. I can promise you there are many grown men in Packerland welling up with tears right now and the bars around Green Bay will be packed tonight! I’m kind of feeling a bit of a sting myself.
Watching the Packers play was one of the most enduring memories of my time in Madison, WI during the 1990s. I wasn’t a Packer fan when I arrived, but the team led by Farve won my heart. The Super Bowl win, the game against the Raiders after Brett lost his father, the hail mary wins, the oh so painful interceptions, the most consecutive starts, the list goes on and on! By the time I left Madison I was bleeding green and gold.
In an era of selfish, attention craving, spoiled, border-line criminal athletes, Brett is a true exception. He kept things real, played with his heart and never forgot who he was. Even in his youthful days he was honest about the struggles he was facing and matured to become a man in control of his life.
When it came to the game, Brett in essence was the inner kid in every man’s heart. It is what we all imagined ourselves to be like someday. I remember a game where he got really badly knocked out and sat out a few snaps. The Packers were driving down the field and needed to score. He lied to the doctors, in order to come back in the game. He then threw a touchdown and then sat out the rest of the game. Needless to say the Packers won that game. The inner kid living a dream.
As a convert to Packermania I wish Brett only the best. With time he’ll take his place among Curly Lambeau, Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr, Ray Nitschke and others as one of the greatest to ever roam Lambeau Field. We will truly miss this once in a generation athlete, leader, player and “inner kid”.