Thoughts on Favre's Presser

Sorry, I got sidetracked on another story and didn't get a chance to post anything earlier on Brett Favre's retirement press conference this afternoon. If you missed it, let me sum it up for you: It was great, great theater.

Favre was honest.

He was genuine.

He was himself.

"I know I can play," he said. "But I don't think I want to, and that's it.... It's been a great career for me, and it's over."

He said that after 17 seasons in the NFL, the last 16 of them with the Green Bay Packers, he was simply spent and his decision had nothing to do with the team not pursuing Randy Moss, or with him supposedly not being made to feel wanted by Coach Mike McCarthy and General Manager Ted Thompson. So much for all that speculation (some of it by Favre's own agent, Bus Cook).

"None of those things," Favre said, "have anything to do with me retiring, and that's from the heart.... I don't think I have anything left to give, and that's it."

He became emotional in the very early stages of his opening remarks and at times spoke with tears in his eyes.

"It's never easy," he said. "... I've watched hundreds of players retire and you wonder what that would be like. You think you're prepared.... It's been everything I thought it would be and then some. It's hard to leave."

He admitted that he wonders if he made the right decision, but he insisted he won't be back.

"I just don't think I can give anything else.... I'm not up to the challenge any more," he said. "I can play, but I'm not up to the challenge. You can't just show up and play for three hours on Sunday."

By Mark Maske |  March 6, 2008; 10:27 PM ET  | Category:  Packers
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Posted by: verbal | March 7, 2008 3:24 PM

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