July 20, 2015 at 1:54 p.m.
Shoutouts & Callouts
Shoutouts & Callouts
If Favre's Packers Hall of Fame/jersey retirement ceremony taught us anything, it's that you can always go home again. Sixty-seven thousand screaming fans and hundreds of Favre's former teammates, coaches and closest friends proved that resoundingly.
I actually have two Favre jerseys in the closet - one each of home and away Packers' vintage. I was ready to frame one of them when Favre announced his first retirement in 2008, ready to sell them on eBay when he was traded to the Jets later that year and ready to burn them in effigy when he did the unthinkable and signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2009.
Thankfully the latter never happened.
I heard a changed man Saturday night in what was undoubtedly a dress rehearsal for a similar speech he will deliver August 2016 when he's enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
As much as the night itself was about Favre for those in attendance, for the man himself it seemed anything but.
"I understand that this night is 'about me,' but I would choose to say it's about us," Favre said, in the Lambeau Field Atrium during his acceptance speech. "And that's why I'm here today. It has nothing to do with me."
He went on to thank everyone from Ron Wolf and Mike Holmgren - the general manager and coach who brought him to Green Bay - all the way down to the security and maintenance personnel at Lambeau Field. He called them all by name, without pausing and (at least from what it appeared on the broadcast of the event) without looking at cue cards. Favre's speech was real, passionate and humble - the latter never seemed possible in 2008 when he spoke about protecting his legacy in a Fox News interview with Greta Van Susteren.
Favre's long-time center Frank Winters delivered the induction speech. There were hundreds of people who would have been appropriate for the job, but it underscores the relationship between quarterback and center. I couldn't help but think back to Terry Bradshaw's Pro Football HOF speech when he said all he wanted to do was "put my hands under Mike Webster's butt one more time."
Of course some of the biggest thank yous Favre gave Saturday night were to the fans. The crowd, 67,000-strong, gave him a four-minute standing ovation and chanted "MVP" at one point during his roughly 15-minute interview with Lance Allan inside the stadium bowl.
"I could sit here and thank you until tomorrow, and it wouldn't be enough," Favre told the fans.
It was a stark contrast to fan reaction the last time Favre set foot on Lambeau Field, wearing a Vikings' jersey in 2010.
Saturday night's ceremony, and Favre's inclusion in the Packers' Ring of Honor (set to take place Thanksgiving night against Chicago), have been a long time coming - a little too long in my book.
Yes, there was a time when Favre was public enemy No. 1 in Wisconsin, wanted for the treasonous act of gerrymandering his retirement on contract situations to play for one of the Packers' arch-rivals. I was one of the many who took great joy in watching Favre and the Vikings first lose to the Saints in the NFC Championship game in the 2009 season and then fall to the Packers twice in 2010. That response was scornful and vindictive. I'm not afraid to admit that now.
For me, the ill will began to subside when Favre retired for good, which coincided with the Packers' Super Bowl XLV victory.
Still, Favre stayed away from Green Bay and Lambeau Field (at least publicly) for quite some time, even as the calls for a reunion grew louder. Time, it turns out, is the best remedy for hurt feelings. Saturday night the man, the team and the fans who cheer wildly for both once and for all let bygones be bygones.
There is no doubt the confluence of Wolf and Holmgren helped rewrite the story of the Green Bay Packers, who had toiled in mediocrity since the days of Vince Lombardi. Brett Favre was undoubtedly the main character in that story and has returned to a hero's welcome.
Welcome home, Brett. Your legacy with the Packers, its fans and within the game of football is secure.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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