Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre addresses the crowd during halftime of the National Football League game against the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving at Lambeau Field.
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When Favre took to the stage, he was quick to acknowledge the prominent and positive role that his wife had played in his life and career. These are guys I grew up watching and then I got the opportunity to play with him.he’s doing something that very select few, the 1% of all athletics get to do, go into their professional Hall of Fames.
“I want you to know, Dad, that I spent the rest of my career trying to redeem myself”, Favre said, fighting back tears. “I hope I succeeded”.
The 69-year-old DeBartolo, who owned shopping malls, was embroiled in the corruption case against former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards and suspended by the National Football League for the 1999 season after being found guilty of failing to report a bribe, a felony.
Somewhat serendipitously so, this saying is a relatively new entrant into the lexicon of sports speak – offered up in the mid-aughts by Hall of Famer Michael Irvin to describe the most notable of this weekend’s class of inductees into football’s hallowed Hall, Brett Favre.
DeBartolo said, “If there is one secret to the success of the 49ers, it is this: We did not see players as simply players”. We were in the ’80s trying to decide whether we could make coaching a career or not. “It was an awesome day every Sunday, whether we won or lost, we still got to see Favre play”.
Thousands of Green Bay Packers fans made the trip to the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio to honor and remember Brett Favre, but one energetic fan from Menasha caught my attention, meet Mean Gene the Dancing Machine. Before that, he turned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into a perennial title contender.
Marvin Harrison, whose 143 receptions in 2002 are an NFL record, has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“I know had I been playing in this, I would have been disappointed”, Favre said. You taught us how to be men. “I would not be here before you today without my father”.
Favre’s other potentially unbreakable record is not a proud one.
Favre played 20 seasons and was selected to play in 11 Pro Bowls. I cried for Favre that night, but it was both sympathy for him and unresolved issues with my father. “Not just about playing safety, but about being a Christian athlete, husband and father and a teammate”.
He also credited former Vikings coach Denny Green, who passed away recently, for making sure “his assistant coaches had quality time with our families”.
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“I’m the 10th Steeler from Super Bowl 13 to be enshrined”, he said with a chuckle, “but you could have won a lot of money if you would have said I would be one of those 10”. His 160 sacks were the third most all time when he retired and he had seasons of double-digit sacks 10 times. That was the second-most ever at the time of his retirement. “Right where a linebacker needs to be, yeah”. Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce were synonymous with those Rams teams, but Pace’s work on the left side of the line was invaluable to St. Louis’ success.
It was some time before the last high school football game of his career. To share in that joy with you guys tonight, what an incredible night, what an incredible week. “So love them each and every day”. It’s why we still love him after some of us swore we never would again.
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“The thing with me, I played 20 years – if you count college, 24 years – and there’s nothing that I didn’t achieve”, Favre said. It ain’t easy. But I thank you so much.
