Is Brett a Rat?

Hopefully you read yesterday’s blog titled “Is Brett a Rat? – A Prelude”. It was a column that was originally written on July 8th for the Daily Kenoshan. It was titled “Why Brett, Why?” and dealt with my feelings concerning Brett Favre’s considerable waffling regarding his retirement. Obviously the discussion of whether Favre would play for another NFL team ended when the Packers dealt him to the New York Jets.

Since Favre went to toss the pigskin in the Meadowlands, the opinions that I gave in that column have pretty much remained the same. I was a fan when he was a Packer and enjoyed watching him play in Green Bay. I am not a fan of Favre as a Jet, although I do not root against the Jets.

After what Jay Glazer’s reported Sunday, that is subject to change. Said Glazer, on Fox's pregame show Sunday: "Brett Favre called the Detroit Lions, starting off with Matt Millen and then the coaching staff, and gave them a 90-minute dissertation on every single thing that the Green Bay Packers do on offense."

You have to be kidding me. What’s next?

In Monday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Greg A. Bedard wrote a column about the Green Bay player’s reaction to this allegation. Bedard wrote, "He contacted them?" cornerback Charles Woodson said with raised eyebrows. "I don't respect that. If they called him and he gives them information, that's one thing. But to seek a team out, because, you know, I guess you're trying to sabotage this team, you know I don't respect that. I know he's been the greatest player around here for a long time but there's no honor in that."

Bedard reported that General Manager Ted Thompson and Head Coach Mike McCarthy both had no comment. Offensive tackle Chad Clifton said he didn’t believe it, but defensive end Cullen Jenkins offered this, "If that was the case, if he did talk to the coaches, I could see if he told his coaches if they were going to play us. That's all right. But if you go out of your way to talk to another team, nah, I don't think that's right."

Granted this is still an allegation, but Glazer is standing behind his story “1000 per cent.” He is a reporter that “hits” far more than he “misses.” WTMJ news at noon consisted of a lot of fan’s opinions. A lot of disappointment to say the least. Still needing more, I decided to see what the talking heads on the radio had to say.

As expected, there were a lot of quotes from Glazer being discussed and he was interviewed via telephone on several different shows. Interesting, but it wasn’t giving me what I wanted. It wasn’t giving me what I needed to hear about Brett Favre.

Then I got it. Former Packer players started to weigh in on the issue. On ESPN 540 Steve “The Homer” True interviewed former tight end Mark Chmura. He said it wouldn’t shock him. He went on to say that if it was true, it would have to effect the Packer’s decision to retire Favre’s number 4. I realize Favre and Chmura have a friendship that has waned in recent years, but the way he spoke had an impact on me.

Down the dial, WSSP 1250 featured no less than 3 former Packers – host Gary Ellerson, Gilbert Brown and LeRoy Butler. While Brown took a wait and see attitude, the same couldn’t be said about Ellerson. He said this was the tip of the iceberg, that we would be hearing even more about Mr. Favre in the near future.

Between Chmura, Brown and Ellerson, I had heard enough to help me get a hold on what I was feeling about this situation. After LeRoy Butler spoke, I had a complete stranglehold on my feelings.

Butler is one of the classiest people around. Pat Hegewald has featured Butler and his contributions to society in several columns. When he speaks, it goes beyond athletics. When he spoke on WSSP I got the impression he was disillusioned with Favre.

During the radio show, a caller told Butler that his wife had just given birth to their second child. The caller told Butler that it would mean a lot to his wife if he would call her. Butler’s response? “What’s the number?”

The host commented that this is why Butler had such a great reputation with the fans. He then asked Butler if the current turn of events would tarnish Favre’s stature with the fans. Butler’s response said it all.

“If you were to ask me if he cares what people think of him, the answer would be NO! Why? Because he is Brett Favre.”

In the upcoming days we will surely hear more than we need to about Favre being a rat or a backstabber. I will listen and watch, but I have heard all that I need from Chmura, Ellerson, Brown and especially Butler. Heroes are supposed to be big. In my eyes, even at 6’2” and 220 pounds, Brett Lorenzo Favre is pretty small. Until next time…From The Booth.