Brett Favre's Retirement

Love him or hate him, you've got to respect the way Brett Favre played the game. He holds numerous NFL records as a QB, including games started (a record he may hold for a long time for any player at any position), touchdowns, wins as a starting QB, and most league MVPs (3, which he won in consecutive years). In fairness he also owns the career interception record.

Favre was never one to hide what was going on in his life. That was true when he struggled with an addiction to pain killers, when he lost his dad in the middle of a season (and the next day played a career defining game on Monday Night Football), and even when his wife battled cancer.

He as much as any player I can think of played the game with passion. He is seemingly a simple guy - certainly that is the way he is portrayed and seems to want to be perceived. The humility he projects comes across as sincere and a part of who he is.

I know that my good friend Chase - whose opinion I respect a great deal - is not a Favre fan at all. On this topic Chase and I will have to disagree. Brett Favre played the game and carried himself in public the way I would hope my child would - with respect for those around him, respect for the game, passion for what he did, and an attitude that it wasn't about him.

If you haven't seen Favre's retirement press conference the first 4 minutes or so are definitely worth watching. The guy struggles to get past the emotion of walking away. I appreciate the fact that he very humbly thanks God (in a sincere way) for the abilities he has and the opportunity to use them - which he says he seized. That's a great testimony. I hope that at the end of my life (and I certainly don't intend to suggest that Brett Favre's life is over) I will be able to say that I seized the opportunities that God gave me to use the abilities He blessed me with. I also appreciate the way he makes clear that it was never about the money, nor were his accomplishments his - they were the team's.