This is the Brett Favre that most will remember.
Nearly two months ago when this whole thing started, I said that I did not believe Favre would be playing again in 2009.
Apparently, I was right.
Tom Curran and Jay Glazer are reporting that Favre has called Brad Childress to inform him that he will not be coming back to the NFL, and more specifically to the Vikings, in 2009, and most likely ever again.
Right now all of the sports betting websites are having a huge rush on the "When will Brett Favre change his mind?" question of the day. Not to mention the over/under on the Vikings season without Favre, or how many years Childress sticks around the Minnesota area.
To any of you betters out there, put your money on Brett not making a return. I said this two months ago, and I'll say it again, Favre still wants to play, sure. Most guys retire from the NFL when they still feel mentally capable of playing the game, but Favre also understands that he can no longer rely on his body to hold up for 16+ games.
I've been on record for years saying that I believe Favre is the greatest quarterback to ever buckle a chinstrap, and I still stand by that. Several NFL parlay picks were already in place for the Vikings to make a run at the Super Bowl, so it shows what kind of respect the man has.
Even the people who don't really follow football, but are more into the gambling side of it, know and understand the kind of difference that Favre's presence can make for a football team.
Hopefully now this will end all of the nonsensical talk of Favre as a "prima donna" or whatever else the media is spouting just to create a stir and grab a couple cheap headlines. He wanted to play, he like the Vikings know that he wanted to play, but in the end he made the right decision.
While this is what people think of when they think of Brett Favre right now, in five years (when he's in the Hall of Fame) all anyone will remember were his 16 years with the Green Bay Packers.
In fact, most may not even remember his year with the Jets, or his year with the Falcons for that matter.
Quick trivia to prove a point: What teams did Joe Montana, Joe Namath, and Johnny Unitas finish their careers with?
Now honestly, how many of you know that answers without "Googling" it?
