This post isn’t really against Brett Favre, but it is more against the insane media coverage that hangs on every crazy rumor coming from Favre’s camp. I’m sick of the saga, of the endless waiting, of the rumors and lies. Favre stated that he was done playing football after the 2006 season. During that off season, the media spent countless hours speculating on whether Favre was actually done. They followed his every move and continued to try to predict his final decision. This dragged on for months as Favre continued to make up his mind. Why do we need to spend every waking second obsessing over a player’s decision to retire or to continue playing. Is it going to make him decide faster? Doubtful. Maybe it will influence his decision. Once again, doubtful. And that was just the 2006 off season.

Not that surprisingly, Favre chose to play in 2007. It took months for him to make up his mind, but I would expect nothing less from an NFL great on the brink of retirement. It can’t be easy for Favre to stop playing a sport that he loves and I understand that the decision must be agonizing. He can’t just make it in a day, a week, or a month. He’s not going to know in January how his body is going to feel in September. How can he make a proper decision without seeing how his body and how his mind reacts to a couple of months off. He absolutely should be able to and is able to take an entire off season to decide his future, but does the media coverage need to be so relentless?

I respect Brett Favre for taking his time and not rushing his decisions. The thing that troubles me most is the weeping good bye to football that Favre made a couple months ago when he “officially” retired. He made it right after the season when he was feeling exhausted and mentally tired. At that time of the year, he couldn’t even tell that his passion for football still existed. He should have taken the time to see how his body reacted to an off season just like he did in 2006. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Favre now has an “itch” to get back in the game. The tearful goodbye, however, was egotistical. He didn’t need to make up his mind then. That “itch” may not have been around right at the end of the season, but Favre should have expected it to return right now. If that “itch” didn’t return, then it would be a clear sign that his playing days are over. Yet, Favre didn’t wait to find out if the “itch” returned on not. He went right ahead and called a massive press conference announcing his retirement from pro football. That is my only gripe with Favre’s handling of the situation. I don’t know the full story either. Maybe he was pressured by his family or maybe he is truly done playing. Either way, the bulk of the blame rests on the media’s shoulders.

ESPN reported a couple of days ago that Favre exchanged texts with the Green Bay Packers’ General Manager. Why should I care that Favre texted the Packers’ GM? Okay, so maybe he’s thinking about coming back. Well in a month, two months maybe, if Favre does un-retire, then I will care. When things are certain and when the words are coming straight from Brett Favre’s mouth, then I will believe it and start taking interest in the story. Spending time now obsessing over his decision won’t change his decision and it won’t make it come any faster. The teams, the fans, and the media need to relax and wait. Be patient. A decision will come and when it does, it will be broad casted from every sports channel and station in the United States. You won’t miss it, so stop checking back every 15 minutes to see if there is breaking news. Major League Baseball is in the midst of another great year. The 2008 Olympics are less than a month away. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal just completed one of the greatest tennis matches of all time. There are so many great sporting events and sport stories right now, that flooding the headlines with gossip about Brett Favre is just not necessary.