Twistity Sports Exclusive: BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME

 
Brett Favre is going home.

Years after a nasty split with the Green Bay Packers and a nomadic end to his fascinating NFL career, Favre will go back to northeast Wisconsin for an honor richly due him.

Next summer – July 18, 2015 – will mark Favre’s induction into the Packers Hall of Fame and the retiring of his famed No. 4. Favre quarterbacked the Packers to two Super Bowl appearances and an NFL title while setting all manner of passing records with them from 1992-2007. Favre may make an appearance at Lambeau Field before next summer’s ceremonies and it will be a stirring return.

Favre’s endless musings on retirement ended, seemingly, with his choosing to leave the game and then reversing course in 2008, leading to a break with management and his trade to the New York Jets. The Packers had already named Aaron Rodgers the starter and were not prepared to reverse course. Favre then finished his career by playing two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. Rodgers has already matched Favre’s Super Bowl total. In the last year, the club has continued to reach out to Favre to heal this breach and he has been generally accommodating.

“I was always a Packer,” Favre told reporters on a conference call on Monday. “And it’s like borrowed time elsewhere.”

The Packers say the induction in 2015 will feature only Favre. Retiring a number is not lightly done in Green Bay either, where only five (Tony Canadeo, 3, Don Hutson, 14, Bart Starr, 15, Ray Nitschke, 66, Reggie White, 92) will never be worn again. Think of all those Packers greats and Hall of Famers – Herb Adderley, Jim Taylor, Forrest Gregg, Paul Hornung – whose numbers remain active.

Favre lit up Green Bay almost from the moment the club acquired him in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons. He led a comeback win in his first game (and actually caught the first pass he threw with the Packers, a ball that was batted back to him) and kept on piling up victories and touchdowns.

Welcome back, Brett. Welcome home.

Today’s question: Who was the greatest Packers player of all-time? Answers in the box below, please. Paul Hornung? Reggie White? Bart Starr? Vote early and often.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .