Brett Favre might be out of the football limelight, but he's still an important figure in his Mississippi hometown as it continues recovering from devastating tornado damage.
Live from Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Miss., Favre joined "NFL AM" on Monday morning to discuss how he's helping the Oak Grove, Miss., area get back on track following a twister on Feb. 10. Significant property damage and widespread power outages ensued, though no deaths were reported.
"I know the silver lining in this is that no one was killed," Favre said. "Growing up on the Gulf Coast and near New Orleans, Mardi Gras was always a big deal, but in this case, I have to laugh because Southern Miss was out for Mardi Gras holiday, and ... several dorms were completely destroyed, but no one was there. They were either in New Orleans or home for Mardi Gras."
Doing his part in the area's community-wide rebuilding project, Favre said it will be a long road ahead for his hometown, but he's confident that the affected residents of southeastern Mississippi eventually will regain a sense of normalcy in their lives.
Favre said, "We will get back on our feet; it will take some time, it will take a lot of help and it will take a lot of money to get back to where we want to be and even better. But I think they feel confident that we can get the job done, as they should. That is our job, that's our role and that is what I said to them, 'Look, it will be back -- it will be a while -- but it will be back to normal at some point.'"
The NFL icon is just one of many folks who have jumped in to help with the cleanup and rebuilding efforts. He pointed out that during times of adversity, true character can be revealed.
"You find out a lot about your neighbors (and) even your enemies, your rivalries in times like this," Favre said.
Shifting briefly to less important matters, such as football, Favre was asked for his response to Charles Woodson's release by the Green Bay Packers. He admitted he was stunned to hear of the news involving his former teammate.
"I was surprised," he said. "I think Charles ... I think he still is a great player. He's, in my opinion, maybe the most instinctive player in football. He just has a nose for (the) football. He's a ball hawk. I just think he's a definite asset on your team, so I was surprised by it."
Follow Khalil Garriott on Twitter @khalilgarriott.
