GREEN BAY, Wis. — Sitting by himself on an airplane ride to Green Bay on Thursday morning, Brett Favre struggled to find a sincere and graceful way to say he was finished with football.
In the end, his tears told the story.
“It’s been a great career for me, and it’s over,” Favre said, his voice cracking with emotion during a news conference at Lambeau Field two days after he announced his retirement. “As hard as that is for me to say, it’s over.”
Favre said he was convinced he could still play on Sundays, but had lost his passion to practice and prepare the way he would need to lead the Packers to another Super Bowl.
“I have way too much pride,” Favre said. “I expect a lot out of myself. And if I cannot do those things 100 percent, then I can’t play.”
After a farewell news conference that lasted just more than an hour, Favre put his arm around his tearful wife, Deanna, and left the stage — presumably for good.
Favre, 38, takes with him a Super Bowl victory and virtually every quarterback record worth having.
Favre said he had no definite plans for the future and did not know whether he would be involved in football or with the Packers, but ruled out a return to the field.
“I don’t even want to think about next year,” he said.
