Former Green Bay Packers QB Brett Favre is as big a personality as the NFL has ever seen. Favre has accomplished so much, on and off the field. Sure, his career with the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Jets was a footnote, but he still became the man-crush of John Madden and the end of Jenn Sterger ‘s career. (With help from Deadspin). Then there’s all the NFL passing records he broke.
Brett Favre still impacted the game after former Northwestern and current Chicago Bears DE Corey Wootton ended his career.
There’s a always speculation about hit return whenever an NFL team sees their QB get hurt. And it’s a quarterback driven league. So the health of the starting quarterback affects the daily line. Many answers to online gambling questions can be implied by looking at the league’s injury report every week. You can figure out why certain teams are big favorites/underdogs by seeing who’s healthy. And that all starts with the quarterback. And when there’s a need for a new QB, the name Brett Favre comes up. So even in retirement, Brett Favre is still affecting the league.
Here’s some excerpts from the Ol gun-slinger’s big sit-down with the Today Show exclusive:
MATT LAUER: Why is it worth it for kids to keep taking those hits, knowing what you now know about the cumulative effect of those hits?
BRETT FAVRE: Well, I guess he and his family would be the ones to answer that… In fact, if I had a son, I would be real leery of him playing. And that sounds– in some respects I’m almost glad I don’t have a son because of the pressures that he would face. But also the physical toll that it could possibly take on him, not to mention if he never made it, he’s gonna be a failure in everyone’s eyes. But more the physical toll that it could take.
*****
MATT LAUER: There is another subject making the rounds in football right now, and this is a story brewing with the Miami Dolphins. These two offensive linemen– one accusing the other of prolonged bullying. Ritchie Incognito is the guy being accused, and Jonathan Martin is the guy who’s saying he was the victim. What was your initial reaction when you heard this story?
BRETT FAVRE: My initial reaction was, you gotta be kidding me?
MATT LAUER: Why?
BRETT FAVRE: Pro football– bullying? We’re playing– it’s the– toughest sport, most violent, not to mention you’re men– some older than others. So it’s not like a little 12-year-old on the playground. And I’m not defending or condone– I’m– all I’m saying is my initial reaction was a grown man that’s 320 pounds is getting bullied?
MATT LAUER: So, you get out of the game. When did you start to realize that this has taken a physical or physiological toll on me?
BRETT FAVRE: You know, it– recently is where I’ve noticed– I mean, I feel fine. I try to stay in– to offset the aging process, as we all are, by diet or running or biking, whatever. But as we get older, we also know– I mean, it happens to all of us. You know, where’s my glasses?
MATT LAUER: Yeah, where are the car keys?
BRETT FAVRE: Right, so I don’t wanna get that confused with just part of aging, but I think to me the wakeup call was– and Deanna and I were talking’ recently, and she was talking about Breleigh, our youngest, playing’ soccer. And I’ve pretty much made every game that she’s ever played– basketball, volleyball. She played softball one year, she played basketball a couple years. And– as I find out, she played soccer. I don’t remember her playing soccer. She played right over here. And that was probably where my first inclination that something ain’t right.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the country; with regular weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS Catch him Tuesdays talking Illini and Northwestern for KOZN 1620 The Zone, Fridays talking Chicago Bears for WAOR 95.7 The Fan