NFL Football Quarterback Brett Favre (NY Jets)
It seems that no matter what time of year it is, whether it is football season or not– Brett Favre seems to be somewhere in the news. Sometimes it is for his great athletic accomplishments, but recently the focus has been on Favre’s character, actions towards his former team (Green Packers), and his current situation with the New York Jets. There have been numerous articles written about the dynamic relationship that Favre has with his Jets family, and it seems to be on the brink of collapse. One of his teammates, running back Thomas Jones, went on air stating the following about Favre and his behavior on and off the field:
“If somebody is not playing well, they need to come out of the game. You’re jeopardizing the whole team because you’re having a bad day. To me, that’s not fair to everybody else. You’re not the only one on the team.”
Wow, that seems to say a lot in itself. We really didn’t see this when Favre was at the Green Bay Packers. The issue that the PR professional of the NY Jets is a big one. First, it appears that internal issues are arising through the media from credible sources (ex. players) about one of the primary players in the NFL presently. Plus, it presents a negative feeling towards the overall environment and culture of the New York Jets. If a team has such negative feelings and conflict with each other, who would want to work or play for them? Just reading these quotes and statements from these players and professionals with the NY Jets gives me a sense that it is a tense place to be at the moment.
Favre has spent his entire career working hard to create his good reputation as a great football player and having a good personal brand. It seems that that is all but lost since he came out of retirement and not returning to his team the Green Bay Packers, and going to the NY Jets. It appeared that this move to the NY Jets was to be his “comeback,” but I feel that it was more of a setback for Favre in terms of the loss to his reputation and brand image.
I have written several posts on my blog about Brett Favre. I actually included him as an example of an athlete with a good reputation in my research paper proposal that I presented at the International Public Relations Research Conference last year in Miami. I feel that Favre is like so many athletes that can’t let go of the game. They continue to play and think that they can be a good athlete even though they are in their 30s or over. All athletes have to look at themselves realistically and ask themselves– what’s the next chapter in my life? Being an athlete is one of the greatest things in the world, but it does not last forever. For Favre, I believe that he should have left on a great note after retiring from the Green Bay Packers, and gone on maybe to coaching or working as a broadcaster with ESPN or the NFL. Instead, he has risked all of the good will that he developed and damaged his overall reputation and image among his fans, sponsors, and the rest of the football community. People are not going to remember Favre as being a great athlete that was a good person as well– instead, they are going to remember his conflicts with the Green Bay Packers and these negative stories about his behavior from his teammates.
So, what is the next step for Favre and the NY Jets? Will Favre retire from being a football player? Will the NY Jets get a new quarterback? What will happen to Favre’s reputation? Well, time will only tell.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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