The shrinking Brett Favre legacy
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Oh, wait a minute. Didn’t Brett Favre say the report that he had spoken with the Lions’ Matt Millen about the Packers’ game plans before those teams played was absolutely false?
Apparently, as he has done before, Favre has backtracked on a story that had a lot more truth than fiction and now acknowledges that he and Millen talked before the game. Check here for today’s news conference.
It’s not far from what happened when The Times’ Sam Farmer broke the story that Favre’s agent was shopping him around the league after Farve’s retirement from the Packers. Favre and his agent were adamant in their denial of that story, and several major media outlets sided with Favre. Of course, the story proved true.
Unlike ESPN, ProFootballTalk.com has been on top of the recent story since Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported it on Sunday and today has a copy of an internal memo as ESPN that Glazer’s report get no mention because ESPN couldn’t confirm it. Now, finally, ESPN.com has run a story of Favre’s supposed denial today ... even though Favre acknowledges talking with Millen. Favre’s point: Millen called him, not the other way around.
Favre is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. But he has handled this episode -- and the one after his retirement -- a lot more like Ryan Leaf than a Hall of Famer. Favre will stay in the pocket and take a hit, but he’s been sacked on this one again because he couldn’t get out of his own way.
It’s too bad. This would have been a one-day story had he simply owned up to it at the start. By playing dodgeball and essentially calling others liars before he reversed field, he’s only diminishing his own reputation.
-- Mike James
