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This is a shame to have occurred at all. Just because of one mans need for greatness beyond one team, one city.

Brett Favre and the Greenbay Packers are in a stand off over his future with that Organization and the NFL.

Where to begin: This all started three years ago when Brett Favre stated to the Packers Organization that he was trying to decide weather or not to retire from Football. The Organization waited for Brett Favre to make his decision even though he took until the month before they were to start training camp to decide to come back. Not that they hadn't asked him several times during this period to decide but he kept them on hold.

Well, Brett Favre did this again the following year but this time he threatened to retire unless he got some help. He stated publicly that he wanted Randy Moss in Camp or he would be a no show. Long story short, they did not get Randy Moss but, they did get Farve some help.

The year went on and the team wen't 13-3 during the regular season and fell one game shy of the Superbowl. This was held as a great accomplishment and Favre got most of the credit. Note there are 64 players on a Football team in the NFL but Favre got the bulk of the credit.

Favre initially told McCarthy on Feb. 29 - the first day of the free-agent signing period - that he had decided to retire. McCarthy told Favre to take as much time as he needed to mull the decision. He also tried pitching plans that could entice the 38-year-old quarterback to return, including a reduction in practice snaps. Favre, though, told McCarthy that he was quitting on March 3. So then Favre was asked if he was planning to retire for real. This is not an unrealistic question to ask of someone who has stated he would be retiring the past two seasons. Favre stated he was going to retire and asked to talk to his family prior to it going public.

On March 6th, Brett Favre held a press conference: He cried and stated he had nothing more to give the game and nothing to prove. He was done and he was happy about it. Favre stated that he and the Packers could both move on.

Well that wasn't the end of this story but the begining.

All the Packers Organization wanted from Brett Favre was a 100% commitment to them and the team. Then this happened.

Favre first indicated to a Packers employee that he was having second thoughts about his retirement on March 26. That was only 20 days after Favre proclaimed he was "not up to the challenge" during his retirement news conference.

On the night of March 27, Favre told McCarthy that he wanted to return. McCarthy then arranged for a private jet that would take him and Packers general manager Ted Thompson from the NFL owners meeting in Palm Beach, Fla. to Hattiesburg, Miss., for an April 1st meeting with Favre to finalize the deal. But less than 48 hours later, Favre called McCarthy to say he would remain retired after discussing the situation extensively with his wife Deanna. "Closure" was even a term Favre used in his conversation with McCarthy, a source said.

However, Thompson did go to see Brett Favre anyway in May to secure a 100% commitment and got the sense Favre was having serious thoughts about playing again as the two had lunch on his back porch.

"He mentioned several things where you could tell there's always indecisiveness," Thompson said. "He's wondering if he made the right decision. I think that's normal."

"He said he appreciated all the planning we were going to do," McCarthy said. "But he felt that at this point, he had reached a point of closure, to use his words, and he was going to stick with his initial decision."

"Ted always wanted Brett back," McCarthy said. "We always wanted Brett back."

Shortly thereafter, a report surfaced in the Los Angeles Times that agent Bus Cook was trying to gauge NFL interest if Favre became available. Favre also left open the possibility of returning if Rodgers were injured, which spurred more communication with McCarthy about what his quarterback was thinking. Favre's "itch" to play had again returned in earnest by June 14, when he spoke with Packers offensive line coach James Campen, a friend who has served as an unofficial liaison between the quarterback and the team. During a June 20 conversation, Favre again approached McCarthy with the possibility of a comeback. McCarthy, though, was once again unable to secure the "100 percent" commitment he was seeking.

McCarthy said he had a phone conversation with Favre on June 20, and the quarterback sent a clear message: "Give me my helmet or give me my release."

Even then, McCarthy said when he asked Favre if he was ready to make a 100 percent commitment to football - an issue Favre had brought up in his retirement news conference - the answer still was no.

Such waffling - and Favre's recent request to be released so he could pursue playing elsewhere - has left the Packers in a standoff with one of its most storied players.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy said they don't plan to grant Favre the release he is seeking from his contract and are committed to Aaron Rodgers as their starter.

"We've communicated that to Brett, that we have since moved forward," Thompson said Saturday, in his first public comments since Favre requested to be released this week. "At the same time, we've never said that there couldn't be some role that he might play here. But I would understand his point that he would want to play."

"That always seemed to be the one thing that he had to come to grips with," McCarthy said.

Favre also made it clear that he would potentially ask for his release if he was not reinstated, the source said. That put the franchise in a difficult position. The Packers had thrown their full support behind Rodgers and didn't want to waver for two reasons: concerns that Favre could have yet another change of heart; and the unwillingness to risk anything that would undermine his former understudy. At the same time, the Packers wanted to keep positive relations with arguably the franchise's most storied player while moving forward with the younger Rodgers.

Brett Favre finally told the Packers that he had decided to return to Football last Tuesday.

Thompson told several news outlets Saturday that there are no plans to release Favre and that he hadn't received calls from any potential trade suitors. It's unknown whether Favre would be willing to return knowing the Packers' continued support of Rodgers as their starter.

"Quite frankly, it's a little gut-wrenching as an organization to go through it, and certainly for Mike and myself," Thompson said. "This stuff hurts a lot of people. I mean, it hurts. I'm not talking about physically hurting, but the sensitivity. We understand where the fans are coming from. This is a hot-button issue that surpasses anything I've ever gone through."

The situation is likely to reach a head by July 28, the first practice day of Packers training camp. Much of this drama and ugliness was preventable had Favre made up his mind earlier.

The facts are in and it will get bitter and very ugly. This entire situation could have and should have been avoided. At the end Brett Favre will only have himself to blame for ruining his legacy.

When you look at all the accomplishments that can be attributed to Brett Favre, Traitor and Liar were two I did not expect to ever see associated with his name.

Now this story/scandal is still evolving so perhaps more will come to light and perhaps even sway my perspective but, as of now this is a sad affair.

The walking away is the hardest part.

Some times it's best not to look back. Many times we don't like what we see when we do. For most athletes it's hard to get older and feel less then you once were. For the great ones it's even harder because they have to wake up every day living in their own shadows. I will try not to judge Brett Favre to harshly from now on.

I will watch and see the outcome of this fiasco but, I will not judge. I would not even know where to begin to try and fill his shoes even for a moment. With that being so I could not possibly grasp his thoughts or even determine why he would want to leave his team and go elsewhere. I simply would not know.

Good luck Brett Favre. The future path you have chosen is uncertain to say the least but, you will always have the memories.