Will Brett Favre's Legacy Destroy the Green Bay Packers?

If you were an NFL free-agent, would you sign with the Green Bay Packers after a future Hall of Fame quarterback labeled the Packers' GM and head coach as liars?

If you were a player for the Packers whose contract was coming up for renewal, would you re-sign with the team after one of the most popular players of one of the most storied sports franchises in history called out the team and complained of "untruths" and mismanagement of the franchise?

Brett Favre's true legacy to the Green Bay Packers is stabbing hundreds of thousands, and generation after generation, of Packer fans in the heart.

The dagger Favre has wielded is not his, "I'm retired, No I'm not" mantra, or his, "I want to be released or play or something" whining.

Favre picked up a pitchfork to deliberately pierce the franchise, and then twisted and turned, twisted and turned, driving the pitchfork deeper and deeper, saying the Packer franchise couldn't be trusted.

In his desire to unretire, Favre has decided to tell the world the Green Bay Packers' franchise is populated with bad management (GM Ted Thompson), an inept coach (Mike McCarthy, instead of Favre's preference of Steve Mariucci), poor talent at wide receiver (Donald Driver, Gregg Jennings, James Jones instead of Favre's preference of Randy Moss), and poor talent in the offensive line (Favre apparently wanted Marco Rivera and Mike Wahle instead of the line that protected Favre enough for the Packers to earn a 13-3 regular season record and then lost the NFC Championship game when the Giants kicked a field goal after Favre threw an interception.)

The Green Bay Packers gave up a first-round draft choice to get Favre from Atlanta and made him the first $100 million NFL quarterback.

Packer fans made him one of the most popular professional athletes of all time, supported his charities, embraced his family and forgave his drug addiction and his innumerable, untimely interceptions in playoff games in exchange for his innumerable, brilliant plays and his personality.

We just liked Brett Favre. It wasn't just the winning. Packer fans, perhaps more than any other in professional sports, support their team. Not only do we support them, we, for the most part (television and shared NFL revenue aside), pay for it. We just liked the way Favre played. Is that so wrong?

Now, Favre's accusations of the Packers' franchise lying, cheating, backstabbing, and mismanagement may have destroyed the Packers' franchise.

Facing $5 a gallon gas, $4 a gallon milk, mortgage foreclosures, layoffs, and the general decline of the U.S. economy, it will be hard for Packer fans/owners to pony up the money the big-pocket NFL owners can pay for players, stadium renovations, and quarterbacks.

Imagine how hard it is going to be when players cite Favre's comments to forego playing for Green Bay.

Packer fans' children and grandchildren might one day know Favre, not as a sports icon, but as the man who destroyed the only non-profit professional sports team in America.

Brett Favre's most lasting legacy may be to toss all of our grandparents and great-grandparents, in an effort to keep an NFL team in tiny Green Bay, Wisconsin, from turning into a blazing inferno.

What would big Irv Favre think about that?