Packers and Brett Favre's Number Retirement: 'He Deserves It,' Says Team President
The Green Bay Packers have announced that they have the intention of retiring Brett Favre's number, although the owners plan to wait a year or two until tension between the player and the team has worn down.
Bad blood between the player and the team began in 2008 when Favre, who is considered to be future NFL Hall of Fame potential, decided that he no longer wished to stay in retirement and wanted his spot back on the team. The battle that ensued left Favre angered and feeling unwelcomed by a team that he had played hard for nearly 15 years.
The team owners however, don't appear to be holding any grudges and hope that in time, they will be able to offer the proper honor that they feel he deserves.
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"Eventually, he'll come back into the fold. We are going to retire his number," Green Bay Packer President Mark Murphy said this week during the teams tailgate tour. "He deserves that for what he did as a Packer. … There are very few players in our history that had their number retired. He deserves it though."
Murphy revealed, however, that it would take time to conduct such a ceremony due to the hard feelings held by Favre. It's a "very, very meaningful honor" Murphy said, "we want to do it at a time when it's meaningful for both him and the organization."
Murphy doesn't believe that the team will have to wait long for Favre to cool down and appreciate the career that he had with the Packers, although the president seemed skeptical as to whether the 42 year-old would remain retired.
"I think it's probably going to be a few years. We want to make sure that he's really retired first," Murphy said.
Favre however denied any rumors about returning to the NFL last year, stating that he was done with his football career.
"In spite of reports about playing with various teams, I'm enjoying retirement with my family and have no plans to play football," Favre posted in December on his official site.
