Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Andrew Lawrence

The Fall of Favre: the making – and unmaking – of a flawed NFL gunslinger

Brett Favre revisits the Packers during his retirement.
Brett Favre revisits the Packers after a playing career in which he helped the team to a Super Bowl title. Photograph: Kena Krutsinger/Getty Images

Brett Favre was the man with the golden arm – a three-time NFL MVP who revived the Green Bay Packers while setting the league record for consecutive starts and all-time yardage, raising the standard for toughness and productivity at quarterback. It’s his thumbs that let him down in the end. He could play through the thumb injuries – but allegedly not the urge to send lewd text messages to a staff member at the New York Jets, or the digital impulses that would tie him to allegations over a $94m welfare scandal in his home state of Mississippi.

“Are people in these positions above the law?” Rebecca Gitlitz wonders. “Have they been told so many times that whatever they do they can get away with it? Stuff like that, where history repeats itself, I wanted to see how that happens.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.