Unrelated: Brett Favre vs. Green Bay Packers

Selfish. Whiner. Cry-baby. Waffler. Trouble-maker.

These are a few of the adjectives being applied to Brett Favre by the blogosphere, message boards and Twitter-topia.

In case you don't follow, the Green Bay Packers' hall-of-fame-bound quarterback retired last March, but recently decided he wants to play after all. Whether or not that will be with the Pack, elsewhere, or at all remains to be seen.

But although this site is far from a sports blog in any sense, I couldn't help but make a single point that I think is being overlooked by the critics out there - both media & sports fan alike:

Brett Favre has earned the right to negotiate whatever he deems to be a fair shake out of an organization whose heritage he has not only embraced, but furthered into the halls of football legend.

To those of you who insist that Favre is a whiner:

Shut your hole and step aside as a living NFL legend works out a well-earned deal. I'm tired of hearing people berate Favre for politicking for the first time in...how many consecutive starts??

Whether you like him or not, Favre has never been a whiner. He's never made waves for personal gain. He has demonstrated, time and again, a sheer grit and determination that is largely devoid in professional sports - a fact that neither fans nor detractors can refute.

Case-in-point: this unique perspective from ArmsDistance on Favre's iconic connection to Chicago.

And as the unequivocal leader of the Green Bay Packers through 16 years and 253 consecutive starts, Favre continues to play with the passion and enthusiasm of the recess playground and the professionalism of a true sportsman.



There is no "maneuvering" involved here. He doesn't have a damned thing to prove that he hasn't already given in years of dedication - quite literally - blood, sweat and tears.

Get off the guy's back. You critics couldn't hang there even if you tried.