NEW YORK -- Maybe the best proof that Brett Favre is the football icon of his generation came Friday when he became the cover boy for Madden NFL '09.
Favre is the first retired player to have his visage on the video game. And yes, he is retired, despite the rumblings that nothing is final. The Packers placed Favre on the reserve/retired list on Friday, although Favre has yet to file papers to the league himself.
"There are always second thoughts, but that's not saying I am coming back," Favre said. "It's never a clear-cut decision. It's something I can't expect everyone to understand. No, there's no perfect time.
"First of all, I won't keep myself in shape. I'm sure after training camp is over and all that hard work is done, it might be `OK, now.' It might be nice to dream about it, but no."
The transaction by the Packers, which effectively means Favre no longer counts against the 80-man roster limit, was announced in a statement by GM Ted Thompson.
"Today's moves are procedural in nature," said Thompson. "Both (head coach) Mike McCarthy and I have spoken to Brett over the past several days. Brett knew this change in his roster status was coming, and he fully understood our need to make the move in advance of the NFL Draft.
"The NFL does not require a letter for a player to be placed in a reserve/retired status. Brett has announced his retirement publicly and this is simply a personnel transaction made to develop a roster opportunity for the Packers."
Favre announced his retirement from football at a March 6 press conference.
On Friday, he indicated he'd like to stay close to the game, although he wasn't specific. Perhaps some mentoring for high school players.
"Coaching? Right now, no, but if I ever did, it would be at that type level," he said. "It's the time aspect; it's a lot of time and it's demanding. When you're retired, you don't want to spend that much time."
Favre spent much of his time Friday being roasted by former teammate Sterling Sharpe, Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and former Packers quarterbacks coach Steve Mariucci. He also admitted he did not play the Madden game, which is celebrating its 20th year by highlighting Favre on the cover.
But he sardonically noted the current Packers -- at least those in their 20s -- are heavy into the video game.
"I'm not savvy enough to play this game," Favre said. "Most of the younger generation has no idea he coached.
"Some of our guys play Madden better than they play on Sundays. And they spend more time talking about playing Madden."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
