Brett Favre Reinstated; Avoids Football Withdrawl For One More Year
Posted August 3rd, 2008 in All, Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment News and Sports
Favre is filled with joy to be back in the Pack. Still. Again.
In the most widely covered but perhaps least surprising story of this year’s NFL pre-season, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre retired, changed his mind, asked to be reinstated, changed his mind, asked to be traded, changed his mind, and decided to beg for his old job back (which was not at all pathetic). Far more surprising is the Packers’ most recent move in the chesslike “guess whether Brett Favre will play next year” game which has been going on for years…they officially reinstated his contract. Rather than trade Favre to another team or buy out his contract to prevent him playing elsewhere, the powers that be in Green Bay have decided to scrap whatever progress they might have made with future QB Aaron Rogers (whose head must be near DefCon 1 by this point) and put Favre back in the Pack.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, America. We are a nation of addicts. Sugar, alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, football…whatever floats your particular boat. In Favre’s case, the addiction is clear. He doesn’t want to play football, he needs to play football. For years, he has tried and failed to retire from the game, but he just can’t let go of the lights, the crowd, the action or the adrenaline rush. He has replaced vicodin and booze with cheers and deep passes. His wife Deanna, who tried set a boundary years ago by asking Favre not to involve her in the continuous cycle of anxiety and manic emotions caused by his constant (but fruitless) attempts to break away from the limelight, will now either have to live through another and likely far more painful season, or make a break of her own. Because without another miraculous intervention, Favre will not leave the field on anything other than a stretcher.
In contrast with Favre’s emotional turmoil, receiver Art Monk has just been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with an acceptance speech which illustrated all the humility, dignity, and wisdom that Favre’s showcase of chasing the football dragon has lacked:
The love and support I’ve received these past seven or eight years has been overwhelming, and I appreciate it very much. But what I’ve tried to convey to those were upset about the process was that I was ok with it, for in all due respect, as great as this honor is, it’s not what really defines who I am, or the things that I’ve been able to accomplish in my life.
We wish Favre good luck, and hope he takes a page from Monk’s book. Football might be what he does best, but it doesn’t have to be the ultimate definition of Brett Favre.
