LOOK: Emotional Brett Favre has to stop Hall of Fame speech and ask for water
Not only did Brett Favre give the longest speech in the history of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night, but he also gave one of the most emotional ones ever.
During his 33-minute-and-20-second speech, Favre thanked everyone from his wife to his mom to his mother-in-law! As most people know, once you start thanking your mother-in-law, that pretty much means you’re going to thank everyone you’ve ever met.
For Favre, the hardest part of his speech to get through was the two moments where he thanked his family. In one instance, things got so emotional that Favre had to completely stop his speech so he could ask fellow inductee Kevin Greene for a bottle of water.
“Kevin, give me some water. You got some water?” Favre asked.
After a quick drink, the quarterback regained his composure, “Sorry about that,” Favre said.
Things got even more emotional for Favre later in his speech when he started talking about his dad. The story that Favre shared with everyone in Canton was a private one that he had never told before.
“This is something I’ve never told anyone, not even Deanna,” Favre said. “My dad was my high school football coach. I never had a car growing up, I always rode to and from school with my father in his truck, and so he was always the last to leave the building because he had to turn the lights off, lock up, and then we made our way home.”
Favre then recounted what the ride home was like in the days before he played his final high school game.
“It was the last high school football game of my career. .. And what I remember is sitting outside the coach’s office on a Wednesday waiting for my father to come out so we could leave,” Favre said. “I overheard my father talking to the three other coaches, and he said, ‘I can assure you one thing about my son, he will play better, he will redeem myself, I know my son, he has it in him.’ And I never let him know I heard that. And I thought to myself, that’s a pretty good compliment.”
Favre wasn’t sure if he had struggled on the field in the weeks before his dad made the comment, but he took it as a compliment because he knew his dad had faith that he would make himself better.
“I never told anyone [the story], but I never forgot that statement and that comment he made to the other coaches, and I want you to know, Dad, I spent the rest of my career trying to redeem myself,” Favre said.
After he finished telling the story, Favre couldn’t control his emotions. The quarterback definitely redeemed himself though. Less than 20 years after his dad made those comments, Favre was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Unfortunately, Favre’s dad wasn’t in attendance on Saturday. Irvin Favre died in 2003 at the age of 58.
You can see Favre share the entire story below.