I need to write about Brett Favre.  

I have the sneaking suspicion that 35 or 40 years from now, when many professional recollections will have all but faded, this whole situation will remain crystallized in my mind as, unequivocally, one of the most bizarre stories I will have covered in my career.  

On March 6, I remember being glued to my TV, captivated by Favre’s teary-eyed farewell. He told us, “I know I can still play… but I don’t think I want to.” After three years of post-season see-sawing in Green Bay, Favre finally decided to hang it up… on his own terms…on top. He had put some of the rough patches in recent years behind him, and resurrected his career by leading the young Packers to the NFC Championship. Granted, his last spiral wound up in the grasp of the Giants’ Corey Webster… but still. Favre had his Super Bowl bling from ‘96… he was the league’s only three-time MVP… he set nearly every passing record in the book. At age 38, what else was there to do? 

Fast forward more than four months later, and we find Favre embroiled in this sad saga with his soon-to-be former team. A man once deified by the gridiron faithful has fallen from grace.  

First, the news Favre scratched his “itch” to un-retire via a text message to Green Bay GM Ted Thompson.  The response?  “FYI. On vaca. TTYL” (translation for the texting illiterate:” For your info, I’m on vacation. Talk to you later.” Or, more directly, “Buzz off, dude. I got Aaron Rodgers on line 1”). 

Brett Favre? THE Brett Favre? Sending a text message? And getting the cellular stiff-arm from the GM, nonetheless? What in the world?? 

After balking at Favre’s request for his unconditional release in mid-July (knowing full-well he’d probably wind up somewhere in the Norris Division), Thompson recounted his side of the story… which, if accurate, provides some clarity about the Packers’ ambivalence to Favre’s desires. Just a few weeks after Brett had retired, Thompson says Favre decided he still wanted to play. Thompson and Co. planned to jet down to Brett’s home in Mississippi to iron out the details… only to have Favre do ANOTHER 180 just a couple days later, deciding to remain retired. At that point, it seems the Packers shut the door and haven’t looked back. 

Thompson has told Favre he can return to Green Bay, with no guarantee of a starting spot… an option the future Hall of Famer, understandably, won’t entertain. The relationship  has deteriorated further, thanks to an interview Favre did with FOX News’ Greta Van Susteren (a close family friend and Packers shareholder, BTW),  where he accused the Packers of pushing him into retirement, passing on players like Randy Moss and being less-than-forthcoming about the facts. Green Bay’s countermove: tampering charges against the Vikings after the Packers discovered Favre had made calls to call Minnesota coach Brad Childress and OC Darryl Bevell, a friend of Favre’s since his days as a Green Bay assistant.  

To make matters even more inconceivable, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has actually intervened, strongly recommending the Pack get a trade deal done by the time camp opens Sunday…and calling Favre to offer his support.  

The commissioner? Getting in the middle of a trade dispute? What in the world?? 

(Sigh) 

I have no idea how this is all gonna shake out, but as someone who has physically stood on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, witnessing Favre fire pinpoint-accurate darts through waves of cascading snow, it’s hard to envision Green Bay royalty in any colors other than Green and Gold. To a certain degree, I see both sides: the Packers have been left twisting in the wind the last few years and have grown weary of Favre’s incessant waffling; Favre is feeling the pangs many a retiree experience, because year after year, the body is trained to anticipate training camp as the reporting date approaches.

I guess my issue that Favre’s frequent flip-flopping has put the Packers in a state of off-season flux since 2005. After he took an excruciatingly long time last year to announce he’d continue to play, Favre vowed to decide more expeditiously this year, only to later claim management forced him into retirement. If that was the case, though, how do you explain the Packers’ willingness to bring Favre back into the fold just a few weeks later? And more important, why did Favre choose to remain retired shortly after that? Sure, you want the guy behind center who will give you the most “W’s”—and Favre, at this stage, is likely a better bet than Aaron Rodgers—but at some point, you gotta cut the cord, take your lumps and move on. 

No matter how this drama ends, I just can’t see how anyone involved is better off for it. Not Favre. Not the Packers. And certainly not the fans. It all just makes me shake my head. 

Now, I’ve have had my fill of Favrian drama the last couple of weeks thanks to a pretty exciting change in my schedule. After 10 years on the sidelines, I’m beginning to transition into more studio work and in-depth reporting. It’s something I’ve been aspiring to do for quite some time and the need to move in a different direction was compounded by some health issues that have, at times, made weekly travel challenging. So, rather than covering college football this fall on Saturdays, I’ll be honing my skills in other areas, which has been invigorating beyond words.  

In the last three weeks, I’ve hosted “Jim Rome is Burning,” “NFL Live” and “Outside the Lines,” and it’s made me realize how dormant the creative side of my brain has been for the last decade. The more reps I’ve gotten, the more the studio has begun to feel like “home” and it’s been incredibly rewarding to feel like a legitimate part of the collaborative process for the first time in a long… long… LONG time.