If Jets quarterback Brett Favre gave information to the Lions, is that a big deal? • October 26, 2008 Pro-Favre's reputation takes big hit Jeff Gold The Journal News He can be called a Super Bowl champion, a three-time MVP, and a total legend. Brett Favre's NFL career has been memorable and historic. He's the rare athlete truly deserving of at least some of the adulation. When his career actually ends (forgive the media if it skips his next "retirement" announcement) start the clock on the five-year wait till Canton. For 18 years in the NFL, Favre has played the game with the boyish enthusiasm that football fans around the country have adored, admired, and respected. And now this. Never did I imagine Favre, the man with 259 consecutive starts - including some unbelievably with a broken thumb - the man who represented everything there is to love about the NFL, would disgrace himself with such petty behavior by talking to the Detroit Lions the week before their game against the Green Bay Packers. The specifics of this phone conversation - who called whom, what coaches were in the room, what exactly Favre revealed - barely matter. Common sense tells us this wasn't simply a "Go get 'em!" conversation. This is completely about principle. This was sleazy. This was unseemly. This was against the spirit of the NFL. This, I mistakenly would have thought, was against the spirit of Brett Favre. So this is what Favre has become? A bitter ex-Green Bay Packer who is so angry that his team chose to move on - after he willingly retired - that he wants to engage in such slimy behavior. There's nothing wrong with Favre being angry at the Packers. He's probably right that he deserved at least one get-out-of-retirement-free card for all he did for the franchise. It's human nature for him to root against Green Bay. That's fine, though he probably should internalize it. This, however, was beneath him. This makes you cringe. This makes Favre the bad guy. The biggest problem with Favre used to be his total disregard for structure and discipline on the field. He'd always take the chance, regardless if the situation called for it, regardless of how much the odds were against him succeeding. Now, it's something altogether different, something much more significant and long-lasting. Now, he no longer epitomizes the purity of competition, something fans want to believe is there. With Favre, for the fans at least, there never used to be any doubt. You can get out of your retirement with a simple press release. The same can't be done for your reputation. That's up to everyone else. Con: What Favre did wasn't unusual Joe Erwin The Journal News So maybe the Jets' Brett Favre gave former Lions president Matt Millen information about the Packers before the Lions played them last month. So what? Maybe Favre really did want to get back at his former team, the one he blames for not welcoming him back with open arms after he unretired. Maybe he was taking pity on Millen, whose job was at stake. (Unfortunately for Millen, no amount of help could aid the Lions or save his job.) Or maybe Favre was just doing something a lot of people do. Many years ago, there was no communication between players and coaches from different teams. Baseball, in fact, has a no-fraternization rule but it's never enforced anymore, something former Mets manager Willie Randolph lamented in April when some of his players got chummy with the Nationals' Manny Acta and Paul Lo Duca before a game. In that regard, however, Randolph is a dinosaur. Players from different teams regularly train at the same facilities in the offseason. They can also get friendly through their agents, and it would be surprising if Scott Boras and his colleagues didn't encourage their clients to give other clients info to give them an inside track to their next big contract. Is Favre's alleged wrongdoing deemed more serious because it wasn't player to player but player to executive? Maybe. But more likely it's because this is Brett Favre, and everything Favre does gets overblown. Favre is certainly a great player - MVP, Super Bowl champion, future Hall of Famer - but the fawning and attention he receives magnifies everything he does. When former Raiders coach Jon Gruden coached the Buccaneers to a 48-21 romp over the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, it looked like the Bucs knew what was coming much of the game. With the knowledge of an ex-coach, it's certainly possible. But how much help could Favre actually give the Lions? Favre is more likely to go in the huddle and say "Somebody get open" than follow a playbook to the letter. It's unlikely he could have given the Lions any information they couldn't get from studying game tapes of the Packers. For much of this week, it was like Favre had given away military secrets. Instead, he might have given away a few formations during what was otherwise a social call. It's happened before, and it will happen again. It shouldn't be blown out of proportion just because it involved Favre.
