Aug 8, 2008 - 6:32 AM
0 shoutsBy Bill Bernardi PA SportsTicker Staff Writer
While Brett Favre gleefully looked toward the bright lights of Broadway on Thursday, he sheepishly cast an eye to those he left behind in Green Bay.
Not so much in the direction of Packers general manager Ted Thompson or even coach Mike McCarthy, but to the faithful fans who routinely cheered his name at Lambeau Field.
So, what words of wisdom did the "new" New York Jets quarterback have for his no-longer-fellow Cheeseheads so that they, too, can move forward?
"I think to the fans, I would say, 'Continue to be Brett Favre fans,'" said the three-time league MVP, who retired this past March only to change his mind. "There may be some who say 'no.' And for those people, maybe they were not die-hard Brett Favre fans to begin with.
"Packer fans are Packer fans, there's a 40,000-or-more waiting list for a reason and that will continue. It's a great tradition. I'm thankful that I was a part of it. I'm not a traitor. I never will be. It's a business and that's the way it works. I gave everything I possibly could give while I was there - and I don't think people will question that - and I hope that the Jet fans see the same thing and so I hope I continue to have fans all over, that's what we play for."
So, while Favre is preparing to play NFL games, many in Packer Nation are ready to play the blame game - and their target is clear.
Tony Mars, the founder of the web site SaveBrett.net, greeted his readers with the following post in the immediate aftermath of Favre's departure from Green Bay:
"We may not have succeeded at bringing Brett back to Green Bay as we had hoped but at least, if he had to leave, he leaves knowing that the Packers management does not represent the vast majority of fan opinion -- the true soul of the Green Bay Packers."
Trust us, it gets worse for Packers management - most notably team president Mark Murphy, Thompson and McCarthy.
"Nice shot, Packers management -- get rid of the guts and glue of the team," Milwaukee native Nancy Davenport told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "The Packers now can rest comfortably again in the basement of the league; they can return to the well-deserved status of laughingstock of the NFL."
"Way to ruin a team. You've embarrassed all of us," Packers fan Mary Janssen of Kalamazoo, Michigan told the Press-Gazette. "Brett deserved better. You wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. How does it feel to be the laughingstock of the entire NFL? I can't wait for the three of you to be run out of town. Make no mistake about it, you will be gone at the end of this year. Can't wait for that."
For his part, Murphy acknowledges that the team's fan base has been bruised, but believes the injuries can heal in time.
"As an organization, we've taken hits and we've split our fans," said Murphy, who then repeated the mantra that he had the team's long-term interests in mind.
While Thompson has been called more than his fair share of names - some of which can't be printed here - one that routinely has made the rounds is "The Man Who Traded Brett Favre."
"I don't think anybody would be comfortable with that," Thompson said of that being his final distinction. "Hopefully, we can do things going forward where people will not remember that."
What Green Bay fans do remember is obvious - No. 4 is no more.
"Sixteen years is hard to forget for everyone and I'd like to think that those 16 years, people will say, 'It's the best 16 years I've ever watched.' It was a lot of fun for me," Favre said. "I think it was made clear this offseason that they were moving forward. Some things happened in between that, and that's OK - it's time for me to move on."
It's going to take a lot longer for some to do the same in Green Bay.
