The Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre are, at long last, ready for their reunion. Or ready to schedule one, anyway.
The Packers sent out a press release Sunday night teasing a joint announcement regarding Favre at Lambeau Field, which took place Monday afternoon. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported the announcement is that Favre will be inducted into the PackersHall of Fame next summer and will have his No. 4 retired, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation. There hasn't been a decision on which regular-season game will feature Favre being honored, per Rapoport.
The Packers' Hall of Fame at Lambeau Field holds its ceremonies in July, which is expected to be when Favre will be inducted.
"I'm pleased to announce that I will be returning to Green Bay, Wisconsin in 2015 for induction into the Green Bay PackersHall of Fame and retirement of my jersey. ... I'm truly looking forward to celebrating and sharing this special moment with all of the great fans of the Green Bay Packers," Favre wrote on his official website Sunday.
"It's going to be here before we know it and it's going to be a great moment," Favre said during Monday's news conference. "I was always a Packer. I played my heart out each and every year I played, and I'm proud of that.
"I knew this moment would come. I'm just thankful that we're here, it's in stone and it's going to be done."
An official ceremony honoring Favre has been a matter of debate ever since player and team fell out after the quarterback's first "retirement" in 2008. Packers CEO Mark Murphy said last month that the Packers didn't expect Favre to have his number retired this year and cited a negative crowd reaction as a concern.
"That is an issue," Murphy said. "He doesn't want it, and neither do we. He wouldn't want to come back and get booed. You can't control 80,750 people. I really think as time goes on, every year that passes, it's less likely that he would get booed, but that is an issue."
Monday's announcement accomplished two goals -- alleviating any more speculation about how the team will honor Favre, while giving fans another year to forgive and forget.
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