Photo by nwistheone

There was a time when words meant something. A man said something and he stood by it, no matter the cost. The classy personas of athletes like Derek Jeter, Steve Young, Wayne Gretzky, and Bill Russell have inspired generations of young people to emanate honesty and professionalism. They will forever remain icons of professional sports and above the lateral jabs of the casual fan.

This is why today’s speculation about Brett Favre’s return to the Packers after retiring just a few months ago strikes a blow to the integrity required of professional athletes. Favre has always been labeled a gun-slinger. A man’s man. A hero of pride and justice. His word was law and he’d either throw his way into a victory or go down in a blaze of glory. You could love him, or you could love to hate him, but you had to respect him no matter the situation.

Brett Favre had earned it. The one element that rises above victories, infamy, championships, and pride: respect. His own fans revered him, but perhaps the bigger accomplishment was the fact that the rest of the NFL revered him. Sure there were some who would openly point out his few flaws (interceptions and the like), but behind closed doors those same people wouldn’t say no to an honest trade that would bring him to their team.

In recent years, it appeared that Brett had reached his end, decreasing his TD/Int ratio and throwing into double and triple coverage trying make the play the way he had previously in his career. Naysayers came out of the woodwork and it seemed inevitable that Favre would retire. That was until last season’s impressive display. Favre led his team to an NFC Championship and was a favorite to appear in the Super Bowl, putting up statistics defying his recent trends.

Then came his decision to end his storied career. A guaranteed Hall of Fame bid, a Super Bowl ring, and recently broken records previously held by none other than Dan Marino are all testaments to the kind of performances Favre put together. Through tears and broken speech, Favre thanked his fans, his teammates, and the leadership of the Packers for sticking with him and giving him the opportunity to succeed.

We all accepted his decision, survived a month’s worth of media saturation of the topic, and moved on. He rode off into the sunset, a respectable fate for a respectable athlete.

Until today. Favre claims it’s just ‘talk’ and no official decision has been made, but allowing such a story to even become a story is a chink in the armor Favre had made for himself. There was a time when a man’s word could be counted on to be truth. Apparently that time has passed us by, as even our most respected heroes have betrayed us.

There is no denying Favre’s accomplishments and some would argue he’s earned the right to do whatever he pleases. I respectfully disagree. He has the responsibility to be a man of integrity and a role model. The message he is sending now is that one’s word need not be taken as truth. Clearly, this is a dangerous message.

So, we eagerly await Favre’s ‘official’ decision… Again. Until then, he’s lost the respect he had once earned. He’s still a fantastic football player, but he’s no longer the role model he once could claim to be.