BRETT FAVRE: FROM HERO TO ZERO. It was often said, back in the day, that Brett Favre was the one man in the state who had a free meal ticket from one end of Wisconsin to the other. And that was almost literally true; even Wisconsinites who weren't into sports (a small minority) still admired Favre for his work ethic, the wholesome image he presented to kids, and the charity work he did, all of which we've blogged about here.
My wife likes to say that Favre was never the same after his father died, and there is probably a lot of truth in that. Certainly Brett and his father (who had once been his high-school coach) were very close.
And if Favre had had the good sense to end his NFL career when he left the Packers, after that tear-soaked press conference that had the entire nation (even the arch-rival Chicago Bears) standing and cheering for the "living legend," well, let's just say that not only folks in Wisconsin, but all across America would have been happy to buy Mr. Favre dinner and a drink.
Of course, it didn't go down that way.
First, there was his muddle-minded but at least understandable decision to reverse his "retirement" and go to work for the New York Jets. Seemed like the guy liked football too much to let it go. Packer fans, by and large, wished him well--although it was hard to understand why Farve would want to meddle with his storybook legacy as Green Bay's gunslinger (and arguably the greatest quarterback in pro football history).
Brett lost a lot of his support in Wisconsin the next season, however, when he lost his mind and did the ultimate: signed up to play for the obnoxious, trash-talking Minnesota Vikings, the bad boys next door that everyone loves to hate. It was as if he had turned his back and mooned the entire state of Wisconsin.
It was amazing. In just a couple of years, Favre had transitioned from the most beloved (adopted) son of Wisconsin to a man who would be well-advised not to have a flat tire anywhere in the state.
But that wasn't enough. Soon, word began to spread from the New York Jets camp that the happily-married Brett had embarked upon a sleazo campaign that sought sexual favors from (among others) an employee of the Jets named Jenn Sterger. The ol' gunslinger apparently inundated Sterger with provocative texts, wheedling telephone calls, and even a video of someone (most reasonable guess is that it was The Man Himself) seriously engaged in pulling his pud...er, gunslinging.
Nice work, Brett. I guess those of us here in Packerland will be happy enough rooting for Aaron Rodgers. And we're sorry too for all those nice things we wrote about you here at S&G over the years.
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