Silly Chris—April Fools is in APRIL!

Being the insane sports junky that I am, and that I can’t help but surf ESPN to further my hate for them, and because I eat lunch late–I hopped onto ESPN around 3:30 p.m. to enjoy my lunch with some light sports reading when BAM! Right on the front page surrounded in red was “Breaking News Alert! Mort: Favre Wants Out of Green Bay”. So much for light reading. In case you missed it because you were too busy doing something productive instead of feeling as if your world was crumbling in around you, here’s the link:

Favre seeks unconditional release from Packers, sources say

Of course it’s written by none other than Chris Mortensen. I mean it’s got to be a joke right? Why isn’t anyone involved saying anything at all about any of this? Shouldn’t information at least be given to Pack fans since they ARE the share holders? Why is it that Mortensen is the only one in the sporting world with access to these sources? That Chris—hoo-boy, had me for a second there…

But what if it’s legit? I am sitting here feeling worse than I did the day #4 retired. Now, not only do I have to deal with the fact that Brett won’t be walkin out on the field when the Pack play this season, I have to also endure the very real possibility that Favre, the gunslinger, MY QB could very well be sporting another uniform. Practicing with a high school team? Is it the apocalypse? Mid-life crisis? What is going on?

Naturally, because everyone KNOWS how much this little article Chris has crafted will effect me, I get slammed with emails, texts, phone calls. Just as a disclaimer right now—I’m at work, and I can’t be on the phone. It’s a little less conspicuous to text or type this here article though, so I’m sorry if I didn’t answer the phone calls. Anyway, among the speculation of where he could go (better not be a division rival) and guesses of how much I will be drinking tonight to get rid of the bittersweet taste in my mouth, my friend Ryan left me with some hope and insight. As a fellow Packerbacker, Ryan said (not verbadum) that maybe Favre’s coming back and going to another team so that he doesn’t disrupt the plans and the future that the organization has already been working towards; that maybe he wants to give the team and fans the opportunity to experience whatever Aaron Rodgers can bring to the table (while it might not be as good as Favre, I’m still confident the boy has talent—that’s me interjecting my opinion into what Ryan said). He hoped that was the reasoning at least. He seemed to be as completely dumbfounded as I was, but it makes sense. Maybe Favre is looking out for the good of the team. Maybe Ted Thompson isn’t as big of an arsehole for pushing Brett to retire and then not letting him come back as I had thought.  

While my mind is racing in a million different directions, I’m going to answer the few questions that people keep asking me:

Are you going to cry?

Cry at which part? If he stays retired–no. If he unretires, but stays with the Pack–no. If he unretires, but goes to a different team–you betcha.

 
Seriously, I won’t cry. But I will be pained by it.

Are you going to root for/be a fan of whatever team Brett goes to now?

I don’t plan to. I’ll always root for Brett though. If he comes back, I want him to succeed. For his sake (how he’ll go down in NFL history) and mine (I have the value of his rookie card in jeopardy here).

 Are you still a Packer fan?

I will ALWAYS be a Packer fan. Nothing will deter me. I’ve bled green and gold since I was 8. Favre won’t be on the team forever, these just happen to be unexceptionally horrid circumstances of that actually playing out. I support A-Rod as our QB and I still have every intention of going to Lambeau for a game come fall. GO PACK GO!

 What would happen if he went to the Vikings or the Bears?

Uh, duh, he wouldn’t go to the Vikings or Bears. He’s not Darren Sharper or Ryan Longwell. He appreciates what a rivalry is…um…next question…

Do you still think it’s all for the sake of publicity?

If I was too proud to admit otherwise, I’d say yes. However, I think this article pushes it more to one side. Don’t you? I mean obviously there’s nothing Chris Mortensen wouldn’t do for the attention it’s giving him and ESPN (like meet secretly with his “sources” in back alleyways…ruthless bastard), but it’s gotten so detailed that Favre would hold a press conference to squash the rumors if it weren’t remotely true. Of course, now I can see why he waited until Ted was on vacation to break the news to him. 

 Despite all of this, there has yet to be confirmation from any of those involved that any of this is true. For all we know Chris could very well be playing a joke. Or just misinformed. Or just pulling a Dan Rather (if you don’t know what Dan Rather did, Google it). Oh bloody hell. If this doesn’t solidify my stance as a Packer fan, nothing will.

Author: Brenda Niemeyer
Contact: bniemeyern@gmail.com

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Tags: Brett, Brett Favre, Chris Mortensen, ESPN, Favre, football, Green Bay, Green Bay Packers, McCarthy, Mike, Mike McCarthy, Mortensen, NFL, Packers, retirement, Ted, Ted Thompson, Thompson

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