Posted on 12/31/2009 1:28:03 PM PST by fightinJAG
[snip]
These comments left the impression that Favre had become addicted to painkillers. This was true, yet it probably did not represent the entire truth. The truth, his father Irvin says, was that Brett had developed an addiction to the drug Vicodin, a narcotic analgesic. But the truth also included the notion, the elder Favre acknowledges, that a problem with alcohol abuse could exist.
[snip]
What, after all, is the first phrase that comes to mind when somebody mentions Brett Favre? "He's a gamer."
Right. How many times have you seen it? Favre is questionable, doubtful, totally iffy, completely banged up. His hip is hurt. His side is hurt. His ankle is hurt. No problem. He plays anyway. He plays amazingly well. He starts 61 consecutive regular-season games, the longest current streak among NFL quarterbacks. In the course of doing so, he earns one of football's highest accolades: "He plays with pain."
Now you understood more fully how that streak occurred. Favre has had more than his share of lumps,
(Excerpt) Read more at findarticles.com ...
Just speculatin’. Either way, I wish Rush well.
He’s done a lot of extreme dieting in his life. Not good.
My point exactly. Yet the MSM trots out his past addiction even though, at least as yet, there's absolutely no evidence it's pertinent to his present health problems.
While no one every says a word about people like Favre. No article -- count 'em, zero --- would throw in there the unmoored reference to his former painpill addiction. Even though, geeze, one could wonder if he resorted to special means to finally beat the December Fade.
Point on Favre is not about size, it’s about *durability.* And, to a certain extent, mental acuity and enthusiasm.
Favre’s drug use actually did affect his performance positively over the years, yet no one ever even mentions it.
I’m not saying they should, but it’s pretty dumb to keep bringing it up re Rush.
For a long time, the teams would pressure athletes to play injured. Now, it's more likely that the athlete will hide the pain killers and steroids from the team because they don't want to be off the field and lose their jobs. The biggest risk of pain killers is that they mask injuries that can become much more serious. Dick Butkus, IIRC, played an entire season with bone on bone contact in his knee (femur to tibia-fibula.)
Favre has never had a catastrophic injury, but having photographed college games close up, I know that at that level players take several hits a game that would kill the average person. Playing pro football is like being in a car wreck every week.
I thought the link in the OP included the tidbit from his wife about actually finding the pills hidden in Favre's stuff. But that fact come from this link and said:
However, during the 1995 season he had become addicted to the painkiller Vicodin, a narcotic. Tynes told Ken Fuson in Esquire that in late 1995 she was cleaning out the closet and "found a bunch of little packs kind of rolled up in there. A week later, they'd be gone. I'd think, Jeez, that's a lot of pain pills." She asked Favre about it, and "he got real defensive." The drug let Favre keep playing through numerous injuries, but it changed his personality, making him anxious, angry, and unable to sleep.
Tynes started throwing out the drugs when she found them, but Favre always had more, and she eventually threatened to leave him if he didn't stop. "Every-body thinks Brett's so tough," she revealed to Fuson, "but they haven't met me yet."
In February of 1996, Favre suffered a seizure, brought on by the drugs. His seven-year-old daughter Brittany, seeing this, asked, "Is my daddy going to die?"
Three months later Favre admitted he had a problem and entered an inpatient rehabilitation clinic for 45 days. As part of his treatment plan, NFL doctors told him he couldn't drink alcohol for two years after he was released. On July 14, 16 days after he left the rehab clinic, he married Tynes in Green Bay.
Read more: Brett Favre - "is My Daddy Going To Die?" http://sports.jrank.org/pages/1436/Favre-Brett--My-Daddy-Going-Die.html#ixzz0bK6P98Mg
I dunno, secret, to me Favre is starting to look sort of like a longtime meth addict, about 5 years out. The sunken cheeks, disappearing teeth, wierd wrinkles.
He doesn’t “just” look 40, if you ask me.
But not trying to rain on your parade: if you love Brett Favre, by all means, go to it!
That’s the same timeframe when Deanna threw his @ss into rehab and she laid down the law; no more hanging out with that rapist Mark Chmura! *SPIT*
Favre is VERY lucky to have married a strong woman. I don’t think he’d be where he is today without her.
But, that’s just my observation from the sidelines... ;)
All my best to Rush and all my best to Favre. Two great, yet very human, Americans.
Yeah, if Limbaugh was a liberal, they'd be running him in public service announcements left and right. The most popular and successful radio personality in history is totally deaf. That's incredible, but they would rather die than give him credit for anything.
I remember an exhibit at Fair Park in Dallas where they were giving tribute to Americans who had made contributions in their later years. They listed Bess Truman, who did some philanthropic work in her sixties, but left out Ronald Reagan, the oldest person ever elected President.
I also remember when the editor of the NY Times said that John Kerry was the first legitimate war hero to run for president since Kennedy. He conveniently forgot that GHWB was the youngest pilot in the Pacific theater, and was once shot down and spent three days floating in the Pacific before being rescued. He also forgot Bob Dole, who lost the use of his right arm during WWII. Of course, he also forgot George McGovern, who had a distinguished military career, but everyone tries to forget McGovern.
I thought Rush was just as good while on large amounts of hydrocodone and oxycodone as he is now to be honest....
The Stones best works were on drugs.
It happens.
I was pretty peeved at Rush when the dope thing first hit but looking back now I was wrong.
It’s not good mind you but it wasn’t the breach I first thought it was.
Godspeed the man, there simply is no replacement. My wife shore cried up a storm last nite over this.
Btw, I know what it is like to live in pain...and I too like painkillers but one has to use good judgement.
Knowing what we know now, it's really, really hard to think of John Kerry as a "war hero". More like a "traitor".
Of course, it's the NY Times...
We’ll have to agree to disagree there. He’s a babe and has been a good role model for sports, marriage, and family. He and Deanna are a good team.
Yikes, yes, we’ll really have to disagree there! As far as I’m concerned, he’s a horrible role model, a spoiled brat, a prima dona, and . . . well, I could go on. But we’ve already agreed nicely to disagree, so I’ll just leave it at that! :)
I don’t know, I have to say I did notice something was different/wrong when Rush was (as we later learn) deep in the vise of addiction.
I especially noticed his voice. Somedays I would think, golly, I can’t stand whatever has happened to Rush’s voice.
All that said, it’s not the same as a football player who abuses pain pills to stay on the job.
I do hope Rush gets well soon.
I enjoyed these memories you posted!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.