On this episode of Our American Stories, much of what’s known about legendary NFL quarterback Brett Favre has been kept between the goal posts. So Greg Hengler sat down with Brett in his Hattiesburg, Mississippi, home for this part 5 of our 5-part series.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is our American stories, and we tell stories about
all kinds of things on this show. And one of
our favorites has been our series of talks with Brett
Farv about life outside of the goalposts. And that's what
we do here on this show as often as possible,
tell the rest of the story and in the main
character's voice without interference from us. This is the fifth
(00:33):
part of a five part series on Brett Favre and
with Brett, and this one focuses on living and playing
in the small, blue collar city of Green Bay, Wisconsin,
and the trials he faced, trials that forced him through
the doors of a drug rehab center three times, and
the thing that happened twice which nobody knew. Here's Brett Farv.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Throughout my sixteen years in Green Bay. Things happened, lost
my father, my wife got breast cancer, I lost my
brother in law, my stepfather in law, I lost him,
went through drug rehab for pain pills, and then immedia.
(01:17):
After that we won the Super Bowl, So I think
people were kind of like, yeah, you know, he's one
of us. Sometimes you know I too oftentimes and should
I should know better. I look at someone who's in
(01:38):
a prominent, whether it be professional sports or politician an
actor like I really like Tom Hanks.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
There's not many people I would want to meet.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
In fact, he's probably the only one. If I had
a chance to meet someone, I'd love to meet Tom.
But he seems like.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Just a regular guy.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
But also, like everyone kind of said after Kobe died,
it's like, you know, he's not supposed to die. And
I think people look at athletes and celebrities and politicians
sometimes as immune to whatever, and the course that's not
(02:26):
the case. And so I lived it, and I think
being in Green Bay certainly helped because it was a
perfect fit for me. I don't think I realized it
until several years in that this was Taylor made for me,
(02:47):
not La not New York, not Chicago, not all the
cities are bigger because people could relate to me, and
I could relate to them very similar to to where
I grew up and not a whole lot different than
Hattsburgh other than the climate. You know, just hard working,
blue collar people, and so I think they could identify
(03:11):
with with me, and I just happened to be their quarterback.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
So it was a perfect perfect fit.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
And I think, you know, like with Aaron Rodgers, and
he's a he's a f a a friend.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
They love him because he's their quarterback, but they don't
really connect with him.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
And that they can identify and they can relate to me,
and so you know, yeah, like with Tony Mandrich and
I saw his story. I was actually my first year
in Green Bay. He went through training camp and got cut,
so I got a chance to know him, and I
I just remember it thinking what happened to this guy.
(03:57):
I remember doing my press conference in nineteen ninety six.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Right before well, when I got out, it.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Was the day before training camp. But when I went
in treatment, I spent seventy five days too, because I
was a little bit rebellious. Well, I didn't want them.
They told me everything I needed to do. I had
to sign in to go to lunch with the group.
(04:27):
And when I finally realized if I want to get
out of here, I better do exactly what they say,
that was about seventy five days into it.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
But anyway, I remember.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
The press conference and how difficult that was to announce
that I had not only to go to treatment, but
for pain pill addiction. Because I had everything going that
was that that season ended up being in my third
MVP season in a row, so I had two previous
(05:06):
But it was amidst the the just the heart.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Of my addiction.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
I mean, it was at its worst. Surprisingly that I
was able to function like that. You know, they play
at a high level and sleep maybe an hour a night,
taking fifteen viking in ys at one time.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
But it was a great.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
It was great to have it happen in Green Bay
where people had compassion all the things that's happened to me.
I was thankful what happened in Green Bay. So and
you know, I mean being from there. They loved their packers,
(05:49):
but they love their people too. People asked me because
I actually went three times. The first time I went
to a place in Rayville, Louisiana, and it looked.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
I couldn't believe.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
When I pulled up to this place, I said, this
is a rehab. I thought it was like some some
Sandford Son type place. It was like a little shack,
but it was.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
It was good.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
I stayed there twenty eight days. I would stop one
thing and continue another. So I wanted to drink, but.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
The paint pills was a seventy five day in.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Tapeka Chansas at Minnigar Clinic. The Rayville, Louisiana was prior
to all that, and that was for paint pills.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
But I wasn't ready to stop, and I the league
didn't make me go.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
I went voluntarily, even though my arm was twisted. I'd
had two seizures in Green Bay, one in the hospital
right after ankle surgery, after the after the previous season.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Ninety five season, and then during the excuse.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Me, after the ninety four season, And the ninety five
season was the season before we won the Super Bowl.
During that season, I had a seizure the night before game,
which people obviously didn't know, and that really kind of
started the ball rolling, like why are you having seizures
(07:30):
while I was atsleeping, so my brain was basically short circuiting.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
And you just heard a remarkable story a three time
MVP Hall of Fame quarterback running on one hour of sleep,
a serious pill habit and suffered two seizures two and
no one knew about them. And you're hearing about that
for the first time here. Not because we like breaking news,
That's not why you tune in here, but to hear
(07:58):
the real story and the real humility and he's not
kidding when he says he's glad he was in Green
Bay because this country boy tucked away in Los Angeles
from New York Chicago, and the ending would have been
much worse even listening to Brett Farv. This is the
part five of a five part series here on our
American stories. In his own words, by the way, Tony Manderich,
(08:21):
what a story. We've done that one too, in Tony's
own words, from the heights of NFL success to drug
addiction and worse and then the rise up. And we
love the redemption story here. And we're always rooting for
people when they're down, whether they're in a prison or
anywhere else. When they're at their low, that's what we
(08:42):
love to come in and love on them, and we
treat them as if they're members of our own family,
just like you would. And if you have stories like this,
they don't have to be some big, fancy football quarterback story,
because in the end, that's why people related to Brett.
He was like the rest of us, and he is.
These people are no different, and we all know that
it's we who treat them different and put them on
(09:03):
these statues. And then when they fall, we rip them apart,
and it's just so wrong. Brett Favre's story here on
our American Stories
This is our American stories, and we tell stories about
all kinds of things on this show. And one of
our favorites has been our series of talks with Brett
Farv about life outside of the goalposts. And that's what
we do here on this show as often as possible,
tell the rest of the story and in the main
character's voice without interference from us. This is the fifth
(00:33):
part of a five part series on Brett Favre and
with Brett, and this one focuses on living and playing
in the small, blue collar city of Green Bay, Wisconsin,
and the trials he faced, trials that forced him through
the doors of a drug rehab center three times, and
the thing that happened twice which nobody knew. Here's Brett Farv.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Throughout my sixteen years in Green Bay. Things happened, lost
my father, my wife got breast cancer, I lost my
brother in law, my stepfather in law, I lost him,
went through drug rehab for pain pills, and then immedia.
(01:17):
After that we won the Super Bowl, So I think
people were kind of like, yeah, you know, he's one
of us. Sometimes you know I too oftentimes and should
I should know better. I look at someone who's in
(01:38):
a prominent, whether it be professional sports or politician an
actor like I really like Tom Hanks.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
There's not many people I would want to meet.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
In fact, he's probably the only one. If I had
a chance to meet someone, I'd love to meet Tom.
But he seems like.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Just a regular guy.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
But also, like everyone kind of said after Kobe died,
it's like, you know, he's not supposed to die. And
I think people look at athletes and celebrities and politicians
sometimes as immune to whatever, and the course that's not
(02:26):
the case. And so I lived it, and I think
being in Green Bay certainly helped because it was a
perfect fit for me. I don't think I realized it
until several years in that this was Taylor made for me,
(02:47):
not La not New York, not Chicago, not all the
cities are bigger because people could relate to me, and
I could relate to them very similar to to where
I grew up and not a whole lot different than
Hattsburgh other than the climate. You know, just hard working,
blue collar people, and so I think they could identify
(03:11):
with with me, and I just happened to be their quarterback.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
So it was a perfect perfect fit.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
And I think, you know, like with Aaron Rodgers, and
he's a he's a f a a friend.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
They love him because he's their quarterback, but they don't
really connect with him.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
And that they can identify and they can relate to me,
and so you know, yeah, like with Tony Mandrich and
I saw his story. I was actually my first year
in Green Bay. He went through training camp and got cut,
so I got a chance to know him, and I
I just remember it thinking what happened to this guy.
(03:57):
I remember doing my press conference in nineteen ninety six.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Right before well, when I got out, it.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Was the day before training camp. But when I went
in treatment, I spent seventy five days too, because I
was a little bit rebellious. Well, I didn't want them.
They told me everything I needed to do. I had
to sign in to go to lunch with the group.
(04:27):
And when I finally realized if I want to get
out of here, I better do exactly what they say,
that was about seventy five days into it.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
But anyway, I remember.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
The press conference and how difficult that was to announce
that I had not only to go to treatment, but
for pain pill addiction. Because I had everything going that
was that that season ended up being in my third
MVP season in a row, so I had two previous
(05:06):
But it was amidst the the just the heart.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Of my addiction.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
I mean, it was at its worst. Surprisingly that I
was able to function like that. You know, they play
at a high level and sleep maybe an hour a night,
taking fifteen viking in ys at one time.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
But it was a great.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
It was great to have it happen in Green Bay
where people had compassion all the things that's happened to me.
I was thankful what happened in Green Bay. So and
you know, I mean being from there. They loved their packers,
(05:49):
but they love their people too. People asked me because
I actually went three times. The first time I went
to a place in Rayville, Louisiana, and it looked.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
I couldn't believe.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
When I pulled up to this place, I said, this
is a rehab. I thought it was like some some
Sandford Son type place. It was like a little shack,
but it was.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
It was good.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
I stayed there twenty eight days. I would stop one
thing and continue another. So I wanted to drink, but.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
The paint pills was a seventy five day in.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Tapeka Chansas at Minnigar Clinic. The Rayville, Louisiana was prior
to all that, and that was for paint pills.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
But I wasn't ready to stop, and I the league
didn't make me go.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
I went voluntarily, even though my arm was twisted. I'd
had two seizures in Green Bay, one in the hospital
right after ankle surgery, after the after the previous season.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Ninety five season, and then during the excuse.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Me, after the ninety four season, And the ninety five
season was the season before we won the Super Bowl.
During that season, I had a seizure the night before game,
which people obviously didn't know, and that really kind of
started the ball rolling, like why are you having seizures
(07:30):
while I was atsleeping, so my brain was basically short circuiting.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
And you just heard a remarkable story a three time
MVP Hall of Fame quarterback running on one hour of sleep,
a serious pill habit and suffered two seizures two and
no one knew about them. And you're hearing about that
for the first time here. Not because we like breaking news,
That's not why you tune in here, but to hear
(07:58):
the real story and the real humility and he's not
kidding when he says he's glad he was in Green
Bay because this country boy tucked away in Los Angeles
from New York Chicago, and the ending would have been
much worse even listening to Brett Farv. This is the
part five of a five part series here on our
American stories. In his own words, by the way, Tony Manderich,
(08:21):
what a story. We've done that one too, in Tony's
own words, from the heights of NFL success to drug
addiction and worse and then the rise up. And we
love the redemption story here. And we're always rooting for
people when they're down, whether they're in a prison or
anywhere else. When they're at their low, that's what we
(08:42):
love to come in and love on them, and we
treat them as if they're members of our own family,
just like you would. And if you have stories like this,
they don't have to be some big, fancy football quarterback story,
because in the end, that's why people related to Brett.
He was like the rest of us, and he is.
These people are no different, and we all know that
it's we who treat them different and put them on
(09:03):
these statues. And then when they fall, we rip them apart,
and it's just so wrong. Brett Favre's story here on
our American Stories
Host
Lee Habeeb
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