Did Braces Bring Down Brett Favre?

He famously wore braces in 2003 and his career and judgment tanked almost immediately after

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I was browsing Netflix the other day when a new program popped up as the main new piece of content they were promoting.

It was called the “Untold: The Fall of Favre”. And I did a double take because I’ve been out of the loop on NFL football for a long time since I’ve lived overseas.

And I never knew there were any scandals attached to Brett Favre. To the last of my recollection he was a massive football icon. Particularly in my high school days, which is when I watched quite a bit of the NFL.

So I decided to turn it on for awhile to see what it was all about.

And had no idea it would turn into my next article. LOL

Who is Brett Favre?

Brett Favre is one of the most iconic quarterbacks in NFL history. After being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 1991, he found his true home with the Green Bay Packers, where he became a living legend.

During his prime, Favre led the Packers to two Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots in 1997. He was named NFL MVP three consecutive times (1995-1997).

Favre was beloved for his gunslinger mentality, incredible arm strength, and boyish enthusiasm for the game. His ability to make spectacular plays while taking risks endeared him to fans, and his toughness in playing through injuries became legendary.

He Famously Did Braces in 2003

In 2003, at the age of 34, Brett Favre made headlines when he decided to get braces—something relatively uncommon for adults at that time, particularly for a high-profile NFL quarterback in his prime.

Media outlets picked up the story, and Favre became something of a poster boy for adult orthodontics.

Favre was surprisingly open about the procedure, telling reporters, "I've always wanted to do it. I finally decided to go ahead and do it."

The decision was portrayed as purely cosmetic, with Favre explaining that he'd always been self-conscious about his teeth.

Photographers captured images of Favre smiling with his new metal braces, which became a topic of locker room jokes and sports talk radio banter.

He Seemed to Get a Lot Worse Almost Immediately After

The 2005 season marked a shocking decline in Favre's performance. He threw a career-high 29 interceptions (leading the league) while managing only 20 touchdowns—one of the worst touchdown-to-interception ratios of his career.

The Packers finished with a dismal 4-12 record, their worst since Favre joined the team.

Also there was a change in Favre's demeanor. Teammates and coaches noted that he became more withdrawn. The quarterback who had once been the heart and soul of the locker room, known for his practical jokes and infectious enthusiasm, began keeping to himself.

According to former teammates, he stopped participating in many team activities outside of required practices and games.

By 2008, Favre made the emotional decision to retire from football. His retirement press conference was tearful and seemed genuine—yet strangely, he unretired just months later, joining the New York Jets.

After one poorly played season there, he retired again, only to unretire once more to play for the Minnesota Vikings. During these final years, his performance was inconsistent at best.

He Was Making a Lot of Bad Decisions Off the Field Too

Another thing became clear… he was using pretty poor judgment off the field.

In 2010, while playing for the Vikings, Favre became embroiled in a scandal involving Jenn Sterger, a Jets gameday host. He allegedly sent inappropriate text messages and photos to Sterger during his time with the Jets in 2008.

In more recent years, Favre has been implicated in a Mississippi welfare scandal, where he allegedly received $1.1 million in welfare funds for speaking engagements he never performed.

He has since repaid the money but still faces questions about his involvement in directing $5 million in welfare funds toward a volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi, his alma mater.

Would a completely healthy Brett have made these poor choices?

in early 2020 I kind of looked like this all the time…. very serious and a bit weird

My Story on How Collapse Leads to Bad Decisions

I cycled between collapse and resurrection at least 4-5x between the years of 2014 - 2021.

Everytime I got worse my decision-making went down the drain. I did stupid things. Said stupid things.

When i was more ‘collapsed’ I easily said and did things that upset family and friends with no rhyme or reason at all.

It’s like i’d react more out of emotion rather than taking a step back and thinking rationally or strategically.

It’s why I knew at one point that it was just not good for me to be managing others when I am in that condition. And I pulled myself out of a management role 3x (in 2018, 2019 and 2020) because I knew I was a loose cannon when my health was in the toilet.

Better to pull myself out than make a complete mess.

However when I was getting better it’s like I was a different person in this regard. I could trust myself to act logically and make sound decisions.

And so I understand how biomechanics may have significantly contributed to Brett’s poor decision making.

Am I saying he is blameless and it’s all due to biomechanics? Also no.

Brett aging pretty fast at age 55 for a guy that had better structure than 99.9% of Americans

Closing Thoughts

A couple folks have asked me why I didn’t start Reviv a couple years ago.

After all I had remembered the correct biomechanics in late 2021 and was pretty confident I knew all the core rules about a year later in 2022.

Why did I wait another two years till late 2024 to start?

Well the main reason was I knew I wasn’t ready. Mentally.

I was still prone to poor/emotional decision-making and knew that I shouldn’t be putting myself under a microscope.

Even now… i’m a bit nutty. But in a happy, relatively logical way. Hahaha

So I can understand why a person like Brett, who was constantly in the spotlight, would run into issues.

And I think there is a very good chance he would have made far wiser decisions if he hadn’t done those braces.