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Equals: Favre's humanity matched his skill

BILOXI, Miss. — (EDITORS NOTE: Al Jones, a sports writer at the Sun-Herald, has known Brett Favre since childhood.)

That I feared for a month and a half came true Tuesday when Brett Favre decided it was time to walk away from the NFL.

From a statistical standpoint, he will go down as the best quarterback of all time. Granted, his current NFL records will fall eventually, but for now, Brett is the best.

Before the 2008 Super Bowl, I had a feeling Brett would step aside and ride off into the sunset. After all, he’s a man who has earned everything that life sent his way. When describing him, words like integrity, honesty, friend and father come to mind.

On the football field, the man knew how to win and elevated the play of his teammates like none other. When the team won, he praised the team. When the team lost, he never pointed fingers. Whether it was a receiver running the wrong route, a linemen missing a block or a back fumbling the ball, Brett never singled anyone out.

Instead, he put the team on his back like a leader should.

Shortly after a disappointing loss to New York in the NFC championship game, Brett hurt like never before emotionally. The guy who remembers each loss from high school, college and the pros had a tough time dealing with the Giants earning the Super Bowl berth instead of the Packers.

To some, his last pass, an interception that sealed New York’s win, might be the cause of the end-of-the-season pain. He didn’t deliver like he did so many times in the past with the game on the line, but Brett was the reason the team was in the title game.

Nonetheless, it hurt. And to use a hunting comparison, he went into hibernation.

With the pain showing on his face as he left Lambeau Field for the final time, it looked as though events were unfolding for him to play in one last Super Bowl. After all, New York beat Dallas the previous week to give the Packers homefield advantage.

In Brett’s eyes, things were scripted for his third Super Bowl appearance.

But New York crashed the party and, ultimately, signaled the end of Brett’s career.

But he should not be remembered for that final pass. The man should be remembered for his excitement on the field, his dedication to bringing the best to Green Bay and collecting just about every NFL record he could.

In the end, Brett was drained emotionally and physically and that’s why he walked away.

He might be Superman to some, but his body is catching up with his age and he opted to get out with plenty of time to enjoy his family. He told me on several occasions that he never really got to see Brittany grow up and all of a sudden, she graduated from Oak Grove High School last year.

This time, he wanted to spend time with Breleigh, his younger daughter.

To me, Brett can’t go wrong when it comes to walking away from pro football to spend time with Deanna, Brittany and Breleigh.

On the field, however, he’ll be missed.

Brett’s retirement is huge, but the NFL will move forward. How did Atlanta replace Hank Aaron? How did Baltimore replace Cal Ripken? How did the Celtics replace Larry Bird? You don’t.

That’s why we have the Hall of Fame.

Last week, I saw a television show where the host asked the co-host if he could trade places with one person in the sporting world for a day, who would it be? The answer was Tiger Woods.

My answer would be Brett Favre.

What more could he achieve in the NFL? The man won a Super Bowl, made nine Pro Bowls, picked up three MVPs awards and made a nice living for his family.

That says everything about a man who will reside in the NFL Hall of Fame in five years.

So what kind of man is he? When my family lost my brother nearly four years ago, he was one of the first to call. When Ronnie Hebert was laid to rest this week, Brett was there to say goodbye to a dear friend.

When Big Irv lost his life, he cried.

And when his wife, Deanna, fought breast cancer, he stood beside the lady he so dearly loves.

That, folks, makes Brett Favre human and gives him the right to ride off into the sunset.

On a personal note, it’s been a great ride with Brett throughout his career. We shared many laughs, a few tears and several lifelong memories.

Brett, you are a special person and I wish you well in the new phase of your life.

Now, we have more time to hunt.