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Green Bay Packers fans still have some mixed emotions about former quarterback Brett Favre.
Favre, who was the man under center for 16 years, was in the middle of a roller coaster retirement in 2008 that had many fans on the fence. The Packers had just brought in current quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2005 and GM Ted Thompson was ready to see Rodgers take over.
From there, any football fan knows what happened. Favre retired, then unretired and went to the New York Jets, and then took a detour to play for the Packers’ rival Minnesota Vikings.
The move to the Vikings was the last straw for Packer fans as they booed Favre in his return to Lambeau Field. It was a sight to see — a legend in Packers history getting booed by the fans that once wore his jersey and watched him run around the Louisiana Superdome after celebrating a touchdown pass in Super Bowl XXXI.
In 2011, Favre officially handed in his retirement papers to the NFL and ever since then, it seems the dust has cleared. Many Packer fans may still have harsh feelings, but I believe the majority has forgiven Favre and want to see his name inside of Lambeau next to greats such as Vince Lombardi, Reggie White, Curly Lambeau, Bart Starr and Ray Nitschke.
The fans aren’t the only ones that want to see Favre’s no. 4 hanging high. Earlier this year, President and CEO Mark Murphy said, “We want to have Favre back in the family.”
Along with Murphy, Rodgers has shown steps in repairing what many believed was hatred between him and Favre. Earlier in the year during ESPN’s Honor Awards, the two were seen on stage shaking hands and presenting an award together. They were also seen backstage talking and seemed to be very friendly.
Rodgers has come out and said he and Favre are now good friends. On the Jim Rome show, he said, “I think it’s time for our fans, this organization and Brett to heal through this and to move forward together before he gets the greatest honor of being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”
These are big steps for the organization and shows fans that things are getting patched up between the two sides. Like Rodgers said, I truly expect to see Favre and his family inside of Lambeau before 2016, when he is to be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
That is assuming he doesn’t return to the league, of course. Let’s hope Buss Cook keeps quiet for a few more years!
Michael Tiscia is a Green Bay Packers writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
