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Favre Announces Retirement

By Jello
Jello@Jello.com

Posted: Feb. 1, 2005

Kiln, Ms - With a tired look and a sense of resolve Jello, decided to pull you leg and make you sh|t your pants. I know you all will want to kill me for this but WTF, life is short. You may now resume you regularly scheduled heart beat.

Packers/NFL

Photo/Jeffrey Phelps Donald Driver said Tuesday that he believes Packers QB Brett Favre (above) is going to retire.

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Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver told interviewers during a trip through radio row at the Super Bowl media center that he thinks quarterback Brett Favre is going to retire. Driver, in town for a charity event benefiting area schools, created quite a buzz with his comments.

Almost as quickly as the words were out of Driver's mouth, word spread that Favre was going to retire. One radio station had heard the Packers were calling a press conference to announce Favre's retirement and was investigating its legitimacy.

When asked about Favre's possible retirement, Driver told Sirius NFL radio, "Everyone has been asking me that question. He's a real close friend of mine, and we've been talking back and forth, and I think he's pretty much going to hang 'em up."

Asked if he thought Favre had made up his mind, Driver said, "I think so. I think he was trying to wait until the draft, and I think coach (Mike) Sherman wanted to know right before free agency because there're a couple of quarterback free agents that they want to look at if Brett decided not to come back.

"I think they forced him to make a decision. When you force one of the greatest quarterbacks in the NFL to make a decision, he's pretty much going to let you know that he may be just hanging 'em up."

Shortly after Sirius e-mailed Driver's comments to reporters around the country, the Packers issued a statement saying nothing had changed regarding Favre's status. They said he has not informed the Packers of his decision whether to return for the 2005 season.

A source who spoke to Favre on Tuesday said the quarterback confirmed that he had yet to make a decision about his future.

In an interview later in the day, Driver stood by his comments that he thought Favre would retire, but he said he had no direct knowledge of Favre's intentions and had not spoken to the Packers quarterback since shortly after the season had ended with a 31-17 playoff loss to Minnesota on Jan. 9.

A source close to Driver confirmed that he had not received any recent indication from Favre regarding his future.

Nevertheless, Driver wasn't backing down from his feeling that 2004 was Favre's last season in the National Football League. He said he and Favre talked about different things several days after the Vikings loss and his gut feeling was that the 35-year-old Favre wasn't going to return for a 15th season.

"I have a feeling he won't be come back," Driver said. "You think in your heart that you know he's going to come back and play, but in my mind I feel like he won't. I don't see Brett coming back and having to prove anything. That's my opinion. I think a lot of people say Brett's going to do this or that, but no one is sure. I'm not sure, either."

Driver said that he called Favre recently but did not hear back from him. He said he has spoken with backup quarterback Doug Pederson, who is Favre's closest friend on the team, and Pederson told him he hadn't talked to Favre recently and wasn't sure what he was going to do.

After the Vikings loss, Sherman told a dejected Favre to wait before he made a decision whether to return next season. He told him the Packers would need to know of his decision before March 2, the start of free agency and the 2005 salary cap year.

It's unclear whether that deadline has changed any since Ted Thompson took over Sherman's general manager duties or whether Thompson has had discussions with Favre about next year. Thompson deferred to the statement the Packers released and offered no additional comment.

Offensive coordinator Tom Rossley said his feeling was that Favre would return, but he said until Favre had given the Packers official word he was not taking anything for granted.

Driver said his discussion with Favre after the Vikings game didn't formulate his opinion but rather it was his observations over the course of the season.

"It was just talking to him over time, day in and day out, seeing him go through the same thing every day," Driver said. "It's like 14 years is enough."

Driver said in his radio interview he didn't mean to imply the Packers have forced Favre into retirement by giving him a deadline. He said he probably used the wrong words in describing Sherman's need to know Favre's plans before March 2.

Driver said he hoped Favre returned for another season.

"He's the greatest quarterback I've ever played with," said Eagles running back Dorsey Levens, who played with Favre from 1994-2001. "I hope he doesn't retire, but you can't play forever. I know he's gone through a lot in his personal life. I think if he does retire everyone will understand, but I'm sure everyone would still love to see him play."

- Bob McGinn contributed to this story.