Favre has meant a lot to the Packers’ organization, the city of Green Bay, the state of Wisconsin and the NFL. But he owes all of them a debt of gratitude also. They’ve been good to him as well. And in return, Favre has driven them all nuts with his indecision, and now, when they’re all ready to move on, he’s making overtures to play again.

In some states, he might be considered a stalker.

There is nothing terrible about being unable to make a decision. It’s not one of the preferred qualities of a big-time quarterback, but Favre has carved out a fine career despite the fact that he can’t make up his mind. Like I said, back when he retired I thought he would regret it, so I’m not surprised he’s hedging.

Yet there is a right way and a wrong way to go about this. Favre should say to Green Bay, “Look, I made a mistake. I want to play again. If you don’t want me, how about trading me to a team that could use my services.” What he shouldn’t do is what he’s doing, which is a whisper campaign that is undermining his successor and keeping the team in a state of limbo.

The NFL community isn’t a focus group. Its members don’t like to be phoned at home by pollsters asking questions like, “If Brett Favre were to come back, would you like to see him in a Packers uniform?”

What’s next? A series of Favre-Rodgers debates? Negative campaign ads? A furor over the fact that Rodgers doesn’t wear an American flag lapel pin on his shoulder pads?

Maybe an angry senator asking, “What did Favre know, and when did he know it?”

The Packers have been mum. Publicly, they have to be careful not to criticize a beloved hero. Privately, they should be telling Favre that they don’t appreciate his sneaky ways. Training camp opens soon, and here he is causing a major distraction. Even in politics, an uproar generally fizzles out quickly because the 24-hour news cycle replaces it with something else. Yet the Favre story keeps lingering because he’s been so shrewd at making sure it has legs.

If he played quarterback with the same cunning as he applies to his campaign management, he might have won more than one Super Bowl.

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