I remember the 1999 training camp quite well.  The first few days of the Ray Rhodes regime, and Brett Favre missed a few days of training camp.

The reason we were given by the Packers public relations department?  Brett's grandmother, Grandma MeeMaw, was ill.

None of us really bought it.  Rumors of trouble with Favre's marriage were out there, but out of respect to Brett, no one peeked into his personal business.

Now, Deanna Favre confirms what was suspected...for the first time.

In her book Don't Bet Against Me, Deanna reveals that Brett went into rehab for alcohol abuse in '99, when she was on the verge of filing for divorce.  That season, Favre weighed 215 pounds...the lightest he's played, likely from seeking treatment and the stress that was in his life. 

During the preseason, he broke his thumb....then broke down in the postgame press conference after a draining, emotional season opener against Oakland on September 12th.  You can check that out by clicking on the video link.

In the book, Deanna says it all came to a head after a weekend of partying with Brett's brother Jeff, and Jeff's wedding. 

When Brett came home to Hattiesburg, he almost didn't have a place to come home to.  Consider what Deanna has to say:

"I had all his belongings packed and waiting in the courtyard of the house. I'd become so desperate that I'd called a divorce attorney ... He came into the house and begged me to let him stay , but I was firm. 'If you're not going to quit drinking , you can leave , ' I told him. 'I'm not going down that road again; I'm done. I've already spoken to an attorney.' ... The attorney called while Brett was begging me to reconsider , and Brett heard me tell her I was ready to file; that I was done and there was no changing my mind ... [Later] I told Brett that if he didn't get out of my house , I would call 911. I called his agent [Bus Cook] , and Bus came to pick him up. Brett told Bus to take him to the airport , because he was going to check himself into rehab again.

"Brett realized if he wanted a life with me and the children , he couldn't drink again. He gave it up completely , and it's been eight years since he's had a drink.''

No wonder Brett said last week that he could understand what Koren Robinson's going through, in his battle to not only get back on the field after a 1-year suspension for alcohol abuse, but also get his life back together.

It's amazing.  Favre is considered the ultimate Iron Man.  Indestructable.  Yet he certainly has a human side, a vulnerable side, a compulsive addictive side that he's battled through the years.

To overcome that, to me, is his most admirable trait.

Your thoughts welcome at lallan@todaystmj4.com