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Star Tells ESPN That He Wouldn't Come Back if He Had to Decide Now
GREEN BAY, Wis. (Jan. 30) - Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre says he has not yet made a decision on whether to play next season, but would lean toward retirement if he had to decide right now.
"I wish I knew," he said in an interview that aired Sunday on ESPN. "I still know I can play. I still love to play. But there's just so much more to it than that now. I never thought it would be complicated, never thought I would give out mentally before I did physically.
"If I had to pick right now and make a decision, I would say I'm not coming back."
The 36-year-old Favre threw a career-high 29 interceptions this season and failed to throw for more than 20 touchdowns for only the second time since 1993 as the Packers finished 4-12 for their first losing season since he joined the team in 1992.
"There's days I wake up and say, 'You know what? I can't retire. Don't be stupid. What will I do?"' Favre said. "There's other days, I go, 'What if it's crunch time, 2 minutes left, do you want the ball?' I don't know if I do.
"If I was to come back and play, I would hope that I would be totally committed to the team, because I've always been that type of player."
Favre said the Packers need to know soon to properly prepare for the NFL draft and other offseason personnel decisions. He said he feels fine and that "my arm is as good today as it was 10 years ago."
"I'd like to wait 'til training camp," Favre said with a laugh. "But I know I have to make the decision in the next month for their sake."
Favre met last week with Packers general manager Ted Thompson and new coach Mike McCarthy and said he was honest about his mixed feelings.
"I love the team, I love the Packers, and it's not about me, it's about everyone involved and I want to make the right decision for everyone involved," he said.
Favre said he told Thompson if the team doesn't want to wait for him to commit to either playing the 2006 season or retiring, then he should be "cut loose."
"When you sit down and tell a GM, 'I don't know if I can give you everything' - and I have - that's usually the first ticket out of town," Favre said.
Thompson told The Associated Press on Monday morning that Favre's comments don't sound dramatically different from what he said when they met last week.
"That's a decision Brett has to make with his family," Thompson said. "They'll get it worked out."
GREEN BAY, Wis. (Jan. 30) - Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre says he has not yet made a decision on whether to play next season, but would lean toward retirement if he had to decide right now.
"I wish I knew," he said in an interview that aired Sunday on ESPN. "I still know I can play. I still love to play. But there's just so much more to it than that now. I never thought it would be complicated, never thought I would give out mentally before I did physically.
"If I had to pick right now and make a decision, I would say I'm not coming back."
The 36-year-old Favre threw a career-high 29 interceptions this season and failed to throw for more than 20 touchdowns for only the second time since 1993 as the Packers finished 4-12 for their first losing season since he joined the team in 1992.
"There's days I wake up and say, 'You know what? I can't retire. Don't be stupid. What will I do?"' Favre said. "There's other days, I go, 'What if it's crunch time, 2 minutes left, do you want the ball?' I don't know if I do.
"If I was to come back and play, I would hope that I would be totally committed to the team, because I've always been that type of player."
Favre said the Packers need to know soon to properly prepare for the NFL draft and other offseason personnel decisions. He said he feels fine and that "my arm is as good today as it was 10 years ago."
"I'd like to wait 'til training camp," Favre said with a laugh. "But I know I have to make the decision in the next month for their sake."
Favre met last week with Packers general manager Ted Thompson and new coach Mike McCarthy and said he was honest about his mixed feelings.
"I love the team, I love the Packers, and it's not about me, it's about everyone involved and I want to make the right decision for everyone involved," he said.
Favre said he told Thompson if the team doesn't want to wait for him to commit to either playing the 2006 season or retiring, then he should be "cut loose."
"When you sit down and tell a GM, 'I don't know if I can give you everything' - and I have - that's usually the first ticket out of town," Favre said.
Thompson told The Associated Press on Monday morning that Favre's comments don't sound dramatically different from what he said when they met last week.
"That's a decision Brett has to make with his family," Thompson said. "They'll get it worked out."
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