Brett, stay at home

I came across this column written and published this week in in the Valdosta Daily Times in Valdosta, Ga.

Though seemingly written by a fan who likes football players because they are cute, this writer’s bottom line is important to all of the NFL.
We hope that Brett Favre has a chance to take a look:

"Dear Brett Favre: Please stay retiredBy Karah-Leigh HancockIt’s that time of the year. Football, hopefully, is just around the corner if the NFL gets its act together and I’m excited.As a female, most people probably don’t think I know a lot about football. Sure, I might not know every formation or where every position is supposed to be on the field, but there’s one thing I do know when it comes to football — Brett Favre.I have been a Brett Favre fan for basically half of my life. I turn 31 on Tuesday and I’ve been a fan of his since his third season with the Green Bay Packers when I was starting my first year of high school. I was a fan during the good days, like winning Super Bowl XXXI, to the bad days, when he played for the New York Jets and his last year with the Minnesota Vikings.For nearly 12 years, until he retired the first time, I kept the same Green Bay Packers jacket because I was one of a few Packer fans in South Georgia and I wanted to let people know that I loved Brett Favre, not because he was cute (which he still is), but because he’s one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.I got ridiculed all the time for it, kind of like I still do with being a Tony Stewart fan.I remember where I was when I first heard that he was going to retire. I was on my way to the dentist in Thomasville when a certain VDT sports writer I went to college with texted me to tell me that my favorite football player was retiring.I was devastated.Then Brett Favre came back and I was as happy as a fat kid eating cake.And since 2007, that’s been my football off-season — learning that Brett Favre wouldn’t be playing football only to find out a few months later that yes, he’s making a comeback.With rumors circulating this week, it seems like 2011 might not be any different.I went on Twitter on my day off Wednesday only to see that ‘Brett Favre’ was trending. If you don’t use Twitter, trending means that a word or name is one of the most popular topics at the moment across the social networking site.So, me, being nosey, clicked on his name only to see that rumors were circulating that the legendary quarterback might be coming back.Word was circulating that Brett Favre could possibly go to Philadelphia once the lock out was over as a backup to Michael Vick. Even though he filed his retirement papers with the NFL in January, who’s to say he won’t change his mind again?This is where it gets tricky for me.As a Favre fan, I’ve had him around for three extra years after he originally wanted to retire. I have even been contemplating on who my new quarterback would be.Would I go the sensible route and become a Denver fan and root for Tim Tebow? Would I go for a semi-local team and root for Josh Freeman and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?And now there’s rumors and speculations that he’s wanting to come back, again, and throw all of my new quarterback decision making out the window.As someone, like I said, who has loved the man for half of my life, it’s time for him to stay retired.That Green Bay Packers jacket that I carried around with me, like Linus and his blanket in the Charlie Brown comic strip and cartoons, is now at the bottom of my closet, with random NASCAR and Backstreet Boys memorabilia on top of it.I like to think that jacket represents Brett Favre in some way.At one time, they both were great, but now, both of their times have                   passed.Brett Favre has already tainted his legacy as one of the great quarterbacks in NFL history with his cell phone scandal and his miserable last season with the Minnesota Vikings.So please, Mr. Favre, if by some odd chance you read this, don’t come back for another season or even to be a back-up for another quarterback.Enjoy your farm in Mississippi, ride your tractor in your Wranglers and for the love of all things Holy, leave the cell phone pictures alone."