On the field, however, the surefire NFL Hall of Famer continued to do what he had done since the Atlanta Falcons traded him to the Green Bay Packers in 1992 -- start football games at quarterback, arguably the hardest position to play in all of sports.
Favre's streak of 297 consecutive games came to an end Monday as the Minnesota Vikings quarterback sat with what the team termed a shoulder injury.
As of Sunday -- when the Vikings' game with the New York Giants got postponed to Monday and moved to Detroit after snow collapsed the Metrodome roof -- Minnesota's interim coach Leslie Frazier still sounded hopeful that Favre would play.
Close to Monday's 7:20 p.m. kickoff, though, news circulated that the longtime QB would not play.
With Minnesota still mathematically alive for a playoff spot -- no matter how long of a shot that may be -- there must have been a great deal of pain or severely compromised playing ability to Favre for him not to at least give it a go.
Throughout his career, Favre has seemed indestructible, even as he limped off the field after yet another ankle or knee injury or whatever the case may have been.
After looking like he sipped from the fountain of youth last season, leading the Vikings to the cusp of the Super Bowl, Favre has seemed every bit his age -- 41 -- this season.
Yet, he continued to strap it up time after time.
That ended Monday with four games left in what very well could be Favre's last season.
Over the last few off-seasons, Favre has hurt his reputation with his diva act, waiting until the last possible minute -- sometimes after training camp had ended -- to decide he wanted to still play. It ultimately led to his acrimonious exit from Green Bay -- the team he led to a Super Bowl in the 1996 season -- and did not endear him to anyone.
Favre's next retirement will likely stick this time around, after unsuccessful attempts in 2008 and 2009.
The Gulfport, Miss., native holds essentially every passing record in the NFL's history -- completions (6,295), attempts (10,162), yards (71,775) and touchdowns thrown (507), not to mention interceptions (335) and fumbles (165).
Despite those impressive numbers, save for the last two, Favre's streak for most consecutive starts will probably stand the test of time -- unless Indianapolis's Peyton Manning breaks it -- and be remembered the most.
In an era where the hits have only gotten more violent, the fact that Favre was even standing upright for nearly 300 games deserves reverence.