Brett Favre an American Icon?

Nowhere in the Ten Commandments does it say, "Thou shall not criticize Brett Favre."

At least I don't think it does, but maybe I'm wrong—there is absolutely no negative press about him.

He throws four interceptions in a game, and it's the offensive line's fault. A fumbled snap? Blame it on the center. Swearing at the media? It's the stupid reporter's fault.

Well, right now I intend to change that. I am proud to write the first ever negative article about this supposed American Icon.

But before I get started, I would like to say that I am a proud Green Bay Packers fan and have been since day one. So now that we've cleared up allegiances, let's get started.

Brett Favre will get into the NFL Hall of Fame the moment he is eligible, no doubt. He has broken records and accumulated stats that only the greatest quarterbacks have sniffed; and no matter how much one may hate him, this they have to admit.

However, in the final days of his illustrious career, I can't help but feel that he screwed me, a long time and die hard Packers fan, the Packers franchise itself, and ultimately the city that saw him all these years.

When we dissect his retirement, we have to ask ourselves the question, "How long is too long?" Did he really, in fact, overstay his welcome in Green Bay?

The answer to that is a very matter-of-fact "yes."

But he didn't just overstay—he ate all our cookies, broke our delicate china, and drank all our fancy wine. He showed us the most classless form of the "selfish athlete" that we hear of so often in the media, and yet no one noticed or gave a care.

In football, the quarterback is arguably the easiest position to build a team around, and ultimately success lives and dies with the position. If you have a garbage quarterback, chances are you won't win many games. 

For many years, the Packers had their team built around Favre. But at some point you lose the ability to build your franchise around a certain player—that's when the franchise takes a new direction.

The Packers lost that ability the moment Favre decided to come back and play in 2007-2008. The result of this decision was the loss of a potential top 10 pick, another year of waiting for Aaron Rodgers, and another year of waiting to remodel a franchise that's...well, in need of remodeling.

The moment Aaron Rodgers slipped all the way to the 24th pick in 2005, the Brett Favre era (in Green Bay at least) was officially over.

In short form, that mean that Favre was out, and Aaron Rodgers was in. But, did Favre accept this fate of reality? No he did not.

He played not one, not two, but three years after Rodgers was drafted, thus increasing the franchise's need to move on and go in a new direction.

But what I wonder is, why did he do this? Did he do it purely for the love of the game? Or did he do this to increase his legacy?

There's no doubt he would have made it to the Hall of Fame even if he had retired early. So was it really dedication? Or was it the psychological need to increase an already immense legacy among the American people?

Well what some people may call commitment or devotion, I call selfishness—Brett Favre is the epitome of a selfish athlete.

During the final three seasons of his illustrious career, he showed us the worst in the American athlete. Too bad no one noticed.