Green Bay Packers: Forgiving Brett Favre, Moving On

This is the summer of Brett Favre. July 18th marked a special day in Packers history. It was the day Brett Favre was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.

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The turnout was simply incredible – Favre could not believe it himself. In his speech, he mentioned his younger daughter telling him the good news. The team managed to sell 67,000 tickets in less than 90 minutes.

Some teams struggle to fill that many seats for an actual football game. And last Saturday, this many people came out to see a teary-eyed Favre deliver his most heartwarming message.

This was a weekend to heal. It was a weekend to forgive.

I realize some people were very bitter following the team’s decision to move on from Favre in the summer of 2008. Count me in that group.

I, myself, was actually very displeased with the team and how they handled things. I had difficulty coping with the fact that we were essentially shutting the door on one of the greatest players in Packers history. The team had reportedly offered $20 million so that he would stay retired.

And Favre said no.

This shows me he was a competitor; someone who wanted the game for more than money’s sake. I firmly believe that this is Favre’s greatest trait as a football player. This past weekend simply reinforced that fact in my mind. On several occasions, he had cited his desire to play and compete as his main motivation for being in the league as long as he has been.

How else do you explain the 321 consecutive games played without missing a single one? We may never see another athlete with this kind of competitive spirit. And we certainly won’t see anyone coming near this NFL record.

Aug 9, 2013; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson looks on during warmups prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t get me wrong, my anger towards the team at the time now seems silly. Packers General Manager Ted Thompson knew what he had in Aaron Rodgers and was committed to moving forward. Though fans did not have exposure to Rodgers playing at the time, I doubt you will see many complaints now.

At the time, however, I was really struggling with understanding what the team was doing.

Favre’s constant back-and-forth regarding retirement really irked the Packers fan base and perhaps some were more inclined to side with the team in the messy divorce. I knew Favre was a competitor even back then and saying goodbye to the game one loves is something no athlete ever envisions doing, no matter the circumstances.

Which brings us to today. It is now 2015 and Favre’s legendary number four jersey is being retired. What is the responsibility of fans? To forgive.

We all need to forgive Favre and the team for what happened that summer, regardless of which side fans took. We need to let go of any bitter feelings we may still have.

We all saw how Favre felt when Lambeau Field packed its seats in honor of the former Packers quarterback. It took several years for us to realize just what an impact Favre had on the city of Green Bay and Packer nation.

Favre revived the Packers franchise and we need to remember him for that. Let’s all take a step back and forgive him for anything we might still be holding on to. Once we achieve that, we’ll be able to move on and treasure these memories.

The time to forgive is now. We owe him that.

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