Brett Favre’s Final Fumble?

It’s the first day of August and still nobody knows what’s ahead for Brett Favre. We fans have been driving ourselves crazy trying to figure out whether it’s Favre or the Packers organization that has caused this mess. But what really matters (for Favre and football) is the man’s legacy. Brett has been the face of the NFL for years. He’s won three MVP awards, a Superbowl, broken the all-time career touchdown record, and retired with his consecutive games started streak in tact. So what is there left to prove?

Last year Favre returned to the Packers with a simple goal: Prove that he was still a premiere NFL quarterback. And he did it by putting up Pro Bowl-worthy numbers and leading a young Packers team to the NFC Championship. At this point he has very little to gain and a lot to lose. Read more after the jump.

You would think a man of Favre’s stature would learn from the mistakes of other superstars before putting his legacy on the line. Rickey Henderson could have retired on top but continued to make comebacks until he just wasn’t good enough to play on the Major League level. The greatest boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali, returned to the ring in 1980 and got pummeled by Larry Holmes. He not only lost but suffered a lot of physical damage. Many Chicago Bulls fans are still angry at Michael Jordan for returning to the NBA and playing for another team. Jordan’s last shot for the Bulls was a game winner against the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Championship. That should have been his defining moment. Jordan may be remembered as the greatest of all time, but that final image as a solid player on a mediocre Wizards team may last forever.

Brett Favre has already spoiled his legacy by carrying on this soap opera instead of staying retired. Things will only get worse. (He’s on the new Madden cover, for God’s sake.) Brett’s return to the Packers would disrupt the team’s focus and flow as they attempt to build for the future. If he insists on being a starter, his only option is to put on another uniform, and wouldn’t that look weird? The Packers recently offered Favre $20 million to stay retired. Not too shabby! You’ve done it all Brett. Its time to call it quits and you know it, and so do your biggest fans. - Matan Cohen, Special to Bobby v. the World