Brett Favre: how a scandal in Mississippi tarnished an NFL hero

The Green Bay Packers open their preseason schedule against the San Francisco 49ers on Friday night. Matt LaFleur’s team are among the favourites for the Super Bowl and their veteran quarterback is also aiming for a rare individual triumph.

Aaron Rodgers was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2020 and 2021, and sealing the accolade again after a season during which he’ll turn 39 would be a stunning achievement for the Packers star. Only one player has won the award three times in succession: his predecessor at Lambeau Field, Brett Favre.

The 52-year-old retired in 2011, his status as one of the all-time great quarterbacks beyond dispute. Representing the Packers from 1992 to 2007, he is, like Rodgers, a Super Bowl champion.

Longevity also helps explain his celebrity: he made an NFL-record 297 consecutive starts over 19 seasons, during which his gunslinging style – his huge throws downfield often resulted in as many interceptions as touchdowns – endeared him to fans. The streak ended in 2010 aged 41 when he was with the Minnesota Vikings and suffered a shoulder injury.

The endurance feats came at a cost: for a time, Favre was addicted to painkillers. But, if anything, his struggles only made him more popular in the swathes of middle America that love a blue collar hero and constitute a large part of the NFL’s fanbase. They cheered after he led the Packers to a Monday Night Football victory over the Raiders the day after the death of his father; flooded him with support when his wife, Deanna, was diagnosed with breast cancer (she recovered and set up a foundation); and stood by him when he entered a rehab clinic.

Even an allegation that he sent explicit photos to a female sideline reporter - an NFL investigation said