Don't Blame Brett

Brett Favre has returned to the Vikings. Three of his teammates went to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to escort him back on a private jet to Vikings training camp. He will get $13 million to play this year, with a possible $3 million extra in incentives.

I thought it was outrageous today when a local sports talk host said that he would like to see Favre have a career ending injury. He called him a fraud and a prim dona.

The Vikings didn't need to do this. Nobody was forcing their hand. Head Coach Brad Childress could be considered an enabler in the whole process, but the fact is the Vikings did what they did and appear to be happy with the results.

Did they overpay for a 41 year old quarterback? Did Favre hold them hostage with his waffling? Was he playing mind games? Is he a diva?

The answer is a probable "yes" to all of these questions, but Favre is one of the all-time greats. He made it to the Conference Championship game the last two years before losing in the final minutes. Maybe the same will happen this year. Who knows if he will even make it through the season?

I don't understand why everyone gets worked up over this. One caller speculated what would happen if he pulled this on his job. You know he wouldn't do it. This is the NFL. It's a game and a business. It's not the real working world. It's no different than anything else you see in the entertainment industry. The producers of American Idol ended the effort to sign Jennifer Lopez after her demands bordered on absurdity. The Vikings could have ended this.

I'm glad to see Brett back. Unfortunately, it won't last forever.