Sports

Super Bowl champion Brett Favre reflects on drive to compete, role concussions played during his career

Published

2 years ago

September 7, 2024

Super Bowl champion Brett Favre reflects on drive to compete, role concussions played during his career

Brett Favre stepped away from the NFL following the 2010 season.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 1991 and went on to play for the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings.

He finished his 20-year career with 508 passing touchdowns and more than 71,000 passing yards. Favre won one Super Bowl and earned three league MVP trophies during his storied career.

In the years since his retirement, Favre has gone on record about the number of concussions he believes he suffered during his two decades competing in the NFL. The retired quarterback revisited the head injuries during a recent appearance on OutKick’s “The Ricky Cobb Show.”

2016 Hall of Fame enshrinee, quarterback Brett Favre waves to the crowd after receiving his gold jacket during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Gold Jacket Dinner on August 4, 2016, at the Canton Memorial Civic Center in Canton, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

“I can’t change anything that’s happened, so there’s no use in crying over spilled milk. All I can say is, it was a wonderful career. Did I know then what we now know in regards to concussions? No, I didn’t know . . . no one knew concussions were as bad they were then,” Favre said.

BRETT FAVRE FILES DEFAMATION SUITS RELATED TO MISSISSIPPI WELFARE SCANDAL

Favre added that exiting a game due to a concussion was uncommon during his playing days.

“You would never come out of a game with a concussion, unless it was a major concussion where you blacked out for a period of time. That would probably be the only situation where you would come out of a game.”

Brett Favre has indicated his support for former President Donald Trump in the past. (Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Favre then admitted that he suffered a head injury on the final play of his NFL career.

“My last play actually was a major concussion, but I had multiple injuries . . . separated shoulders, sprained ankles, broken thumb on my throwing hand, the list goes on and on. But, what drove me… again I loved to play. I wanted to be one of those players that the organization did not have to worry about that position for a long time. And I was proud of the fact that they didn’t have to worry about that position for 16 years in Green Bay.”

During an appearance on “The Bubba Army” radio show in 2022, Favre discussed how concussions were less policed when he was at the peak of his career.

“Concussions happen all the time. You get tackled, and your head hits the turf, you see flashes of light or ringing in your ears, but you’re able to play — that’s a concussion,” he explained.

“So, based on that, [I’ve suffered] thousands. Had to be, because every time my head hit the turf, there was ringing or stars going, flash bulbs . . . but I was still able to play.”

One of Favre’s more notable concussions appeared to occur in 2004 when he was playing for the Packers. In a game against the New York Giants, he threw a touchdown pass to Javon Walker. However, it was later reported that Favre had no memory of throwing the pass — which was likely a symptom of a concussion.

Quarterback Brett Favre, #4 of the Green Bay Packers, attempts a pass against the New York Giants on October 3, 2004, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Favre also opened up about how passionate he was about taking the field as often as he could during his NFL playing days.

“No one wanted to play as much as I did. I loved to play the game, and think people, whether you were a fan or not, would agree . . . ‘That guy looks like he’s having fun,’” he told “The Ricky Cobb Show.”

“It was never orchestrated. It was never premeditated. I just went out there and played, and whatever happened, happened. I loved to play, and I think that in itself, more than anything, is what drove me all those years. I wanted to play, and I wanted to play at a high level.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Sports

Loyola wins Southern Section Division 1 lacrosse championship

Published

5 minutes ago

May 17, 2026

Press Room

Loyola wins Southern Section Division 1 lacrosse championship

There’s no denying that Loyola’s lacrosse program is best in Southern California and could be that way for years to come with the number of elite young players participating.

On Saturday night, the Cubs (16-3) won their latest Southern Section Division 1 championship with a 14-6 win over Santa Margarita. The Cubs have won three title since the sport was adopted as a championship event in the Southern Section. Defense has been Loyola’s strength all season.

Senior defenders Chase Hellie and Everett Rolph and junior goalkeeper William Russo led one of the best defenses in program history under coach Jimmy Borell.

Senior Cash Ginsberg finished with five goals and junior North Carolina commit Tripp King finished with two goals.

In girls Division 1, Mira Costa upset top-seeded Santa Margarita 12-6.

Sports

Napoleon Solo wins 151st Preakness Stakes

Published

11 hours ago

May 17, 2026

Press Room

Napoleon Solo wins 151st Preakness Stakes

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Napoleon Solo took home the 2026 Preakness Stakes on Saturday, the 151st running of the race.

The favorite in Taj Mahal, the 1 horse, was in the lead from the start until the final turn until Napoleon Solo made his move on the outside and took the lead at the top of the stretch. As Taj Mahal fell off, Iron Honor, the 9 horse, snuck up, but the effort ultimately was not enough.

Napoleon Solo opened at 8-1 and closed at 7-1. Iron Honor, at 8-1, finished second, with Chip Honcho fishing third after closing at 11-1. Ocelli, one of just three horses to run both the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago and Saturday’s Preakness, finished fourth at 8-1.

A Preakness branded starting gate is seen on track prior to the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, 2026 in Laurel, Maryland. For the first and only time, Laurel Park is hosting the Preakness Stakes which is the second race of the Triple Crown jewel due to the traditional home of the race of the Pimlico Race Course undergoing complete renovations. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

A $1 exacta paid out $53.60, while a $1 trifecta brought in $597.10. But someone out there is very lucky, as a $1 superhighfive – picking the top-five finishers in order – paid out $12,015.70.

Even moreso, a 20-cent Pick 6 – picking the winners of the six consecutive races, with the final being the Preakness, paid out $33,842.34.

The race was run without the Kentucky Derby winner for the second year in a row. After Sovereignty did not run the Preakness last year – and wound up winning the Belmont Stakes – the training team of Golden Tempo opted to skip the Maryland race.

From 1960 to 2018, only three Derby winners did not run in the Preakness. Three Derby winners have skipped the Preakness in the last five years, and for the sixth time in eight years, for various reasons, the Triple Crown had already been impossible to accomplish by the time the Preakness even rolled around.

“I understand that fans of the sport or fans of the Triple Crown are disappointed, but the horse is not a machine,” Golden Tempo’s trainer, Cherie DeVaux, told Fox News Digital earlier this week.

Paco Lopez, right, atop Napoleon Solo, edges out Iron Honor, ridden by Flavien Prat, to win the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

CHERIE DEVAUX REFLECTS ON MAKING KENTUCKY DERBY HISTORY AS FIRST FEMALE TRAINER TO WIN THE RACE

Only three horses from two weeks ago – Ocelli, Robusta, and Incredibolt, were back at the Preakness. Corona de Oro, the 11 horse on Saturday, was scratched well ahead of the Derby, and Great White, who reared up and fell on his back after becoming startled shortly before entering the Derby gate, took the 13 post on Saturday.

The Preakness went off roughly 24 hours after a horse died following the completion of his very first race.

Hit Zero, trained by Brittany Russell, came into the race as the favorite. However, he finished last in the race, which was won by another one of Russell’s horses, Bold Fact — and upon crossing the finish line, Hit Zero reportedly began coughing, dropped to his knees, then put his head down and died.

The Preakness took place at Laurel Park as Pimlico undergoes renovations. It was the first time ever that Pimlico did not host the race, moving roughly 20 miles south.

Paco Lopez, atop Napoleon Solo, wins the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

The Belmont Stakes, the final Triple Crown race, will take place on June 6. The race will return to Saratoga for a third year in a row as Belmont Park continues to be renovated.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.