Letter to Brett
Brett.
Thank You.
For 17 years we have watched you, grew older with you. Shared with you... Cried with you and laughed with you, and I want to thank you.
Thank you for staying here in Green Bay when we all know that you could have made more money somewhere else.As much fame and glory as you have, we know you could have had even more in a larger market. Thank you for honoring your contracts, and for never holding out. To honor your word and stand behind it, even when a better offer came along Thank you for restoring pride and hope in a storied franchise that had fallen on hard times. When the pressures in our lives would at times get the best of us, we all knew that if only for three hours a weekend, we could sit and watch you and forget those problems. Families would gather together and share your day with you. When you lept for joy, we lept with you.... When you scrambled we were on the edge of our chairs. When you threw the long passes we held our breath until it reached it's destination. When you threw touchdowns we jumped for joy, when you threw interceptions we forgave.
Thank you for never changing.. For always being humble..for always being the ten year old kid that lives in all of us at times. We know you have the money but we all know that it never mattered. I see you enjoying your retirement with a fishing pole and an old t shirt driving an old pick up truck.
Thank you for the joy you brought us. For the smiles on the kids faces when you threw another touchdown or gave us another win. When you were knocked down, you would dust yourself off and get back up... And give it your all the next time. And it didn't matter if we were ahead or behind, you never once took a play off.
We all know Brett the quarterback. But not all know as much about Brett the man. About all the hours you and Deanna worked to help the less fortunate. To the Make a Wish Foundation. To the book giveaways... To help others not for the recognition, but because it was the right thing to do. We will miss Brett the quarterback, but we will miss Brett the man more.
Thank you Brett for making us young again. Watching you we could dream.. We could hope.. We could laugh.. And sometimes we could cry.
Thank you for all of it Brett... For that special night in Oakland... The day after your father passed away. Our hearts were all heavy with what you were going through. And yet you went out and had the game of your life, something that those of us that were able to watch will never forget. Thank you for the Super Bowl. For all the victories.. And for the lessons we learned in your losses as well. When you and Deanna were going through the cancer, you handled it with dignity and grace, and not many of us could have handled it as well as the two of you did. And we were there with you, pulling for you., praying for you. You became a part of our family it seems. Through the loss of family members and the loss of your home to a hurricane, not once did we ever hear you complain or feel pity for yourself You always got back up and dusted yourself off. We can all learn from your example whether we are 5 or 95.
And so we move on. Other players will come and go, games will be won and lost. But things will never be quite the same again. Never again to see you jump into the arms of another player, never again to see those fists pumping into the air after a touchdown, never again to see that smile from ear to ear after throwing the key block in a big run. Or to see you stand toe to toe with a defensive lineman twice your size.
Thanks for the memories Brett.
We are going to miss you.
