Brett Lorenzo Favre (/fɑːrv/, FARV; born October 10, 1969) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers.From 1995 to 1997, he was named Most Valuable Player three times, the most the award was consecutively received. Favre also received 11 Pro Bowl and three first-team All-Pro selections. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
He had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 2010, including 297 regular season games, the most in league history. He was also the first NFL quarterback to obtain 70,000 yards, 10,000 passes, 6,000 completions, 500 touchdowns, and victories over all 32 teams.
He played college football for the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and was selected in the second round of the 1991 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons, where he spent one season as a backup.
Traded to the Packers, he became their starter early in the 1992 season and revitalized a franchise which had been in a period of decline since the late 1960s. During his 16 seasons with Green Bay, he led the team to 11 playoff appearances, seven division titles, four NFC Championship Games, two consecutive Super Bowl appearances, and one championship title in Super Bowl XXXI over the New England Patriots, the team's first in nearly three decades.
He was traded in 2008 to the New York Jets, where he played one year, and spent his final two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. His 2009 campaign for the Vikings saw him guide them to a division title and NFC Championship Game appearance, while having one of his strongest statistical seasons.
In 2010, the NFL investigated him for allegedly sexting and leaving inappropriate voice messages for Jets "Gameday host" Jenn Sterger during the 2008 season. According to the NFL, forensic analysis failed to prove he sent the objectionable photographs to Sterger. He was found not to be in violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy, but was fined $50,000 for failing to cooperate with the investigation.
At the time of his retirement, he was the NFL leader in passing completions, passing attempts, passing yards, passing touchdowns, and quarterback wins. He continues to hold the record for career interceptions with 336.
In 2022, he began to face controversy for the Mississippi welfare funds scandal after investigations determined $8 million intended for welfare programs went to Favre or causes he championed. $5 million of the money went toward a new volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi, his alma mater and where his daughter played volleyball at the time. $2 million of the funds were invested in a biotech startup for a concussion treatment drug, Prevasol, in which he had already invested. $1.1 million was paid out to Favre's company for two speaking appearances he did not make.
He has denied the allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit against the State Auditor of Mississippi and two media personalities over their coverage of him. He was questioned by the FBI over the misappropriated funds. His lawyer has stated that Favre did not know the money was misappropriated from funds used to assist poor families and has not been charged with a crime in these matters.
