Don't Do It, Brett!

Dear Brett Favre,

I understand what it's like to be in your late 30s and see that you've lost a step or two. I also understand that in your late 30s, you want to prove that you're just as rugged and good as you were in your 20s. I also understand that mentally, you feel as sharp as you did 17 years ago...though your body is beginning to disagree with that assessment.

What I don't understand, however, is why you can't leave well enough alone. I mean, you called it quits in March because you were, "mentally tired." ESPN and the NFL Network made quite a big deal about your retirement. With all of the Brett Favre tribute programming that flooded the airwaves for several weeks, one could have assumed you had died.

Now, four months later, you're apparently ready to lace up the cleats and make a comeback. Funny thing, though...how can you make a comeback when, in actuality, you haven't even been gone yet? Is your mental tiredness all rested and ready to go now?

You told ESPN's Chris Mortensen in March that the only way it would be worth it for you to play another season was if you could win the Super Bowl. You said, "If I felt like coming back -- and [my wife] and I talked about this -- the only way for me to be successful would be to win a Super Bowl. To go to the Super Bowl and lose, would almost be worse than anything else. Anything less than a Super Bowl win would be unsuccessful."

I get it, Brett. After 17 seasons, three MVP awards, and two appearances in the Super Bowl, you understand the rigors and stress involved in "putting up or shutting up" in the NFL. Makes sense. Nobody faulted you for calling it quits in March. You should know better than to "come back", though.

Look at what Michael Jordan did. He came back twice, once from a premature retirement and once from a legitimate retirement. He came back the second time at 38, the same age you are now. In the two seasons he played in Washington, his stats were considerably lower than his career averages in every category, not to mention the damage his comeback did to his legacy.

Everyone remembers his career with fondness, but there will always be that mental asterisk in fans' minds that he played too long. When he retired in '98, his legacy would have been one that had him going out on top, an NBA champion. Instead, he traded that in for two seasons with the Wizards that etched memories in fans' minds of a slower, overweight Michael Jordan, who paled in comparison to the one who retired in '98.

Though you didn't go out on top, Brett, you did go out on a much higher note than anyone expected. You came close. You almost made it to the Super Bowl. I can understand how that might eat at you, coming oh-so-close and not making it. But listen...the odds of you making a run like that again with the Packers or any other team are pretty slim, even if they wanted you back. In case you haven't been reading the papers or watching SportsCenter, it sounds like the Packers are tired of your "I'm retired...but then again..." routine, as sports franchises tend to do when an aging superstar is reluctant to let go.

Do yourself and us a favor, Brett: stay retired. We all think highly of you and all that you accomplished during your career. The odds of you tarnishing that opinion are too great for you to risk a comeback.