When it comes to listing the “Mount Rushmore” of the four most important and best players in the illustrious history of the Green Bay Packers, certain names undoubtedly surface. Bart Starr? No doubt. Reggie White? Absolutely. Don Hutson? A pioneer of the league. But for loyal supporters of the green and gold, especially those of recent vintage, one name stands out and should be unanimously mentioned in this conversation. That name is Brett Favre.
FROM CHOSEN ONE TO PARIAH FOR PACKERS FANS
We all know how the stink of Favre’s messy divorce from the Packers in 2008 lingered over the Green Bay air like a wet dog on a hot summer’s day. After he played a token year in New York with the Jets upon being traded in the summer of 2008, Favre seized his opportunity to stick it to his former team and signed with the hated division rival Minnesota Vikings.
To the chagrin of Packers’ fans everywhere, the ol’ Gunslinger put up numbers in 2009 that rivaled any of the MVP years he spent wearing the “G” on his helmet. To make matters worse, Favre’s Vikings beat the Packers twice in 2009, further solidifying his role as the hated villain to most Wisconsin residents.
Green Bay fans generally have a common attitude regarding their team: You are either for me or against me. In other words, when Favre was doing his thing for the Packers for 16 years between 1992 and 2007, he could have been the runaway winner for governor in the state of Wisconsin had he chosen to run. His popularity was unrivaled, mainly because his success paralleled a stretch of winning the Packers had not enjoyed since the Lombardi Era.
But, once you choose to join forces with the enemy, you are dead to most Packers fans. Favre went from arguably the most popular Packer ever to the most hated antagonist imaginable, the most treacherous and treasonous of characters since Benedict Arnold and Judas Iscariot, all in the span of a couple of years.
THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
Ironically, the main character involved with Favre’s path out of town played a major role in patching up his relationship with the Packers. Aaron Rodgers was given the reins to the team in 2008, thereby speeding the process of dismissing Favre.
The acrimony between the two began right after Rodgers was drafted in 2005. Disgruntled that the Packers seemingly drafted his heir apparent, Favre famously said this about his ideas about mentoring the younger quarterback: “My contract doesn’t state I have to get him ready to play. Now, hopefully, he watches me and gets something from that. There is no clause that says ‘You groom the next guy who’s going to take your job, or else.’ It doesn’t work that way.” In other words, Favre was holding on to his job with a stranglehold grip, and he was not about to let go.
Well after Favre retired, Rodgers advocated for Favre to return to the good graces of the organization. An ABC News article from 2014 said that Rodgers has been instrumental in advocating that the team and Favre resolve their differences so that the former quarterback can be a member of an organization that routinely honors its ex-players.
That unforgettable ceremony finally took place on Thanksgiving Night in 2015.
2. November 26, 2015: Chicago 17, Green Bay 13
The 7-3 Packers met the 4-6 Bears on a cold and rainy Thanksgiving night, and the team from the south came to Lambeau Field and spoiled the holiday for Packers fans. However, the game was an afterthought because the absolute highlight of the night was the halftime ceremony that finally honored Brett Favre and retired his #4 forever. The patching up of hard feelings was complete: Favre was forgiven and accepted once and for all as a Packer.
Now, this Thanksgiving memory had little to no bearing on what happened between the two teams that played. The Packers ended up reaching the division round of the playoffs that year, but little else will be remembered as fondly as the party on the field while those teams were resting in the locker room.
Both sides, the Packers and Favre, needed this, but the fans were the ones who benefited the most. They could now welcome their favorite son warmly back into their arms, and Favre absolutely accepted the affection. Said Favre during his jersey retirement speech, “And as I think back to our time here in Green Bay, I certainly thank God for the opportunity to play a game I love and play it for a long time and in the best place to play football in the world.” With that, the hatchet was buried, and the healing was initiated in Packerland.
