Kurt Warner retired a year ago, when he was still playing at a high level. Brett Favre stuck around for another season, and it was the worst of his career.
When asked in a New York Times interview whether Favre has hurt his legacy in the last year, Warner said that he has -- but not because of the Vikings’ miserable season on the field.
“He’s a surefire Hall of Famer, one of the greatest players to ever play the game,” Warner said of Favre. “No one’s going to forget what he did on the football field. But I do think some of the things that happened off the field has hurt his legacy to some degree. I do think people look at him differently now — at least in the short term — than they did five years ago.”
Warner is right: Anyone who follows the NFL would have to agree that Favre is viewed differently now than he was five years ago, or even one year ago. That’s a result of both the way Favre acted like a drama queen in deciding whether to retire or play during the last few offseasons, and of the allegations of sexual harassment and the subsequent $50,000 fine for failing to cooperate with the NFL’s investigation.
In time, we’ll probably remember Favre’s great on-field performances more than his off-field shenanigans. But at the moment, Favre’s legacy -- unlike Warner’s -- feels tarnished.
