The Daily Beast reported today that Apple is developing some sort of feature for the iPhone that will be prohibitive to sexting. Well, maybe the Vikings should chip in and buy old Brett Favre an iPhone, because it seems like he has a bit of a problem with sending inappropriate text messages to the ladies, and by ladies I do not mean Deanna Favre.
It's no secret that I'm not a fan of Brett Favre. I used to be, when he was with the Packers, prior to his first retirement, however, all of his actions since then have tarnished my view of him. His blatant animosity and vengefulness toward the Packers have made it impossible for me to respect him as a player or as a person. That being said, even I bought the "Aw, shucks," family man bit.
For those of you who are unaware, if that's even possible, the NFL is currently investigating allegations that Favre made inappropriate advances via voicemail and text-messaged photos toward a Jets sideline reporter, Jenn Sterger, during his brief and inauspicious stint as the Jets starting quarterback. The league is investigating this issue aggressively for two reasons, in my opinion: one, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been effective and consistent in enforcing the personal conduct policy, and Favre is someone who arguably should know better. Two, the Jets recently attracted a lot of negative attention for their obnoxious objectification of Ines Sainz. Now, there's a lot that I could say about the Ines Sainz situation, but it's irrelevant to Favre, so I'll save it for another day.
There are a number of things about the allegations surrounding Favre that bother me tremendously as a football fan, as a woman, and as a human being in general. For one thing, as a football fan, I am very tired of players, and professional athletes in general, behaving irresponsibly because for some reason they feel entitled to do so. It's a little ironic, because I remember a discussion I had with my mother in law right after the salacious news about Tiger Woods' many mistresses broke. I commented that the sense of entitlement these rich, privileged professional athletes seem to share is so disappointing. She responded that Tiger's sense that he was above the constraints of human decency was reminiscent of Favre's cavalier attitude about his retirement/unretirement.
The other thing that made me furious as a football fan in general was the analysts' treatment of this issue during the Monday Night Football broadcast this week. If I have to hear one more time about how Favre has "handled this kind of adversity before," when his dad died, and when Deanna was battling breast cancer. Um, no. No way. There is no way you can compare Favre dealing with media scrutiny because he sent his Pants on the Ground photos to a sideline reporter with the death of his father and his wife's cancer treatment.
As a woman, I find the whole thing disturbing and pathetic. Guys, listen to me, because I shouldn't have to tell you this at all, and I'm only going to say it once. Women do not want to be texted photographs of your man-business. Ever. For any reason. It's gross, it's uncouth, it's inappropriate, and it's childish. Jenn Sterger rebuffed Favre's advances because he's married--and that's the short, polite version. The long, more accurate story is that Jenn Sterger rebuffed Favre's advances because he's married, and old enough to be her father. But I digress. Once a young lady indicates that she is not interested in pursuing an extramarital affair with you, it's a good idea to not continue to pursue the young lady, because if you do, you confirm that you are desperate and pathetic.
As a human being, I just find the whole thing disappointing, from every conceivable angle. It's sad that a man whose wife has stood by him through football ups and downs, through her own battle with cancer, his father's death, his myriad retirements and the accompanying media circus, and so on--that this man would have so little respect for his wife and his marriage confounds me. What disappoints me the most is that Favre's persistence with the voicemail messages and the text-messaged photos indicate that he's accustomed to receiving a favorable response in these situations. The way that he addressed the situation indicate that this is not the first time he's pursued a woman in this way, and other allegations have already surfaced. It's so disrespectful to his family, and my personal feelings about Favre aside, I cannot tolerate a man who cheats on his wife, or tries very hard to cheat on his wife.
Is it possible that the allegations about Favre are false? Sure. I guess. But I'm not nearly idealistic enough to think that they aren't true. What remains to be seen is whether or not Favre will learn something from this escapade. For Deanna's sake, I hope he does. Truly.
