By Dan Arkush
March 6, 2008

Brett Favre thought about wearing a nice suit to his press conference late Thursday morning at the Fourth Floor Legends Club of the Lambeau Field Atrium.

He also seriously considered shaving for the occasion.

But in his first public appearance since announcing two days ago that he was calling it quits after 17 mostly stellar NFL seasons, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer opted to go casual, wearing an untucked long-sleeved powder blue shirt and jeans and sporting a beard that was 2-3 days short of being full-grown.

His explanation?

“What you see is what you get,” he said. “I hope I’ll never change. I don’t think I will. And I hope people appreciate that side of me.”

But as to whether or not the three-time league MVP and holder of numerous distinguished league records will change his mind and decide to keep playing — which many people in league circles like former NFL QB-turned-football commentator Troy Aikman have wasted no time predicting — the early consensus was that Favre left a small crack in the door open.

Moments after what turned out to be an hour-long press conference, in which Favre was overcome by tears more than once, ESPN commentators Mark Schlereth and Darren Woodson both agreed that they weren’t entirely convinced that Favre might not have a change of heart, each mentioning that Favre repeatedly kept saying, “I KNOW I CAN STILL PLAY,” as if he wasn’t 100 percent sure what the future really holds in store.

It took only about 10 seconds for Favre to break down during his opening remarks.

“It’s not easy,” he said. I’ve watched hundreds of players retire, and you wonder what that would be like. I was telling (my wife) Deanna on the way here that God has blessed me with so many great things, a wonderful family, and while flying here today I thought about so many different things, and some of the things I felt like I needed to say.

“I’d like to thank the Packers for giving me such a great opportunity. I hope that they feel every penny they spent on me was money well-spent. It was never about the money or fame, or the records. It was never about MY accomplishments, it was OUR accomplishments, the teammates I played with … It just so happens that the position I played got most of the attention.

“It’s hard to leave. You think you’re prepared for it, but … I know there have been comments and issues in the press lately (speculating on) why I’m leaving, whether or not the Packers did enough to try and convince me to say.

“But none of that had anything to do with me retiring,” Favre said emphatically. “And that is from the heart.”

What follows are the other key points Favre made in the question-and-answer session that followed his emotional opening address:

Q: Will you want to come back after having some more time to think about things?

Favre: “I think last year and the year before when I was tired, it took a while, but I came back to work. But something told me this time not to come back. … It’s a unique situation. I had one of the better years of my career, and the team had a great year, and the team wanted me back. That’s a unique situation going into your 18th season, But there are no guarantees next year, personally and as a team, and I’m well aware of that.

“This year, the stress part was more noticeable to me and Deanna. It’s always been demanding, but as I get older, I’m much more aware of that and how hard it is to play at a high level in this league, and I’m just not up to the challenge anymore. You can’t just show up and play for three hours every Sunday. If you could, you’d have a lot more people playing a lot longer. I have too much pride in myself, and if I can’t do my job 100 percent, I can’t play.”

Q: Talk about the mental strain of preparing during the offseason and continuing to perform up to your standards.

Favre: “As I looked at this upcoming season, I probably could get myself prepared to play. That didn’t have much of a bearing. But it was more the in-season strain. There were numerous Saturdays (this past season) when I was here watching film at 8:30 at night, and I had never done that before. And after numerous games, I would come home and watch film a few hours later of upcoming opponents. I found myself not enjoying the process as much. You gotta enjoy it and relax a little bit, and that more than anything, was taking its toll on me.”

Q: Will you remain involved with the team and help Aaron Rodgers?

Favre: “I’m sure (head coach Mike McCarthy) and I will talk, but they have coaches. What worked for me might not work for the next guy. The last thing I want to do is hang around because of my status. Will I be a Green Bay Packer for life? Sure. I wish the Packers well, and I wish Aaron well. I think he has the talent. But he’s his own player, with his own style, and that’s what he needs to stick to. Hopefully, what he’s learned from me are the things away from playing, how to handle certain situations and react to players. I always enjoyed the game and having fun and making wisecracks, and I didn’t do that as much, and I think that had some bearing on my decision as well. Will I watch games? I’m sure I will. As far as giving advice, I don’t think it will happen.”

Q: What will you do now to satisfy your very competitive nature?

Favre: “Every individual is different. I have listened to advice in the past. My situation has been different. Not too many people have played 275 games. Will I find something equal to throwing a TD at Lambeau Field? I doubt it. Or playing in the Super Bowl? I’m no fool. I know there’s nothing like this. But life does go on, and I will do something, whatever that may be. It will be nice for a while to think I don’t have to live up to certain expectations and just kind of ride off into the sunset, whatever that means, to just try to relax for once in my life and enjoy it.

“Deanna has said it many times, and it couldn’t be more important. You need to see life through the front windshield and not through the rear-view mirror. That is so true. … There are things in life that I have missed out on, and from this day forward, I hope to see things through he front windshield.”

Q: Do you have one particularly memorable moment?

Favre: "I hate when that question is asked. I really don’t have one. It’s too hard to come up with. They ALL meant a lot to me. Some maybe a little bit more than others. I have run thousands of plays, but what’s unique is that every one of those plays meant something to me. I never took a play off. To me, it came naturally. There were some that were more exciting, but the fact I just got a chance to take a snap in Green Bay is something special.”

Q: Do you believe the Packers are capable of a Super Bowl run next season?

Favre: “This is a good football team. I could be pulling a Tiki Barber next year, saying, ‘what if’ but that’s the chance you take. I was fortunate to play on some great teams, but I have no regrets. Not too many people thought the Packers would be 13-3 this year, me included. Hopefully they do go on and have great success. This team is really close, and that makes it a little tougher to leave. We were right there, but that was last year.”

Q: Are you leaving on your own terms?

Favre: “Sure. Yeah. We all would like to leave on our own terms. Elway was different. He had never won a Super Bowl until he beat us. We could have been 1-15, and I still feel like I’m going out on top. People will argue that, but maybe I’m the only one aware of how blessed I really was. It was about everyone else — the coaches, players, the fans. As I walk away, I’m walking away on top with my head high and my chin up. It’s a good way to go out.”