The Green Bay Packers hope to retire Brett Favre's No. 4 jersey prior to the 2016 season, according to team President and CEO Mark Murphy on the team's website. Murphy said that timing "has to be right for both Brett and the organization."
Packers want to retire Brett Favre’s No. 4 before 2016 season
The Green Bay Packers think Brett Favre will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2016 and would like to retire his jersey number prior to his induction.
Richard Mackson-US PRESSWIRE
As Murphy points out, Favre is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2016, and Murphy says that Favre will be a first ballot Hall of Famer. Ideally, the Packers would retire Favre’s jersey just before the former quarterback is officially inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Waiting until that point serves a dual purpose, of course: continuing to let Packers fans forgive Favre. Given that Favre played for the rival Minnesota Vikings, many die-hard Packers fans started to hate Favre, getting rid of their jerseys and generally acting as though they'd been betrayed.
Murphy said that as time goes on, the "wounds are healed," and people will focus more on the "great things he did for the team during his 16 years here." It seems like only a matter of time before Favre's jersey is retired. The Packers made an excellent transition from Favre to current quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but it's hard to argue with 16 years of service.
Murphy said that the Packers want to bring Favre “back into the fold,” and suggested that the joint presentation between Favre and Rodgers of the Comeback Player of the Year Award at the NFL Honors program was a “great first step.”
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