Packers to induct Favre, retire No. 4

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Nearly six years after he was traded by the Green Bay Packers, Brett Favre and his former team will come together for the first time on Monday, in what is being billed as a joint announcement by the former quarterback and the Packers Hall of Fame.

The announcement will be that Favre will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in the summer of 2015 and the uniform No. 4 that he wore for the Packers from 1992-2008 will be retired, according to a statement on Favre's website. It was not immediately clear when exactly the number retirement ceremony will take place.

The Hall of Fame, which is independent of the Packers but houses its museum at Lambeau Field, holds its induction ceremony annually in July. The museum is currently closed for construction as part of the renovations in the stadium's Atrium. It is scheduled to re-open next April.

"It was a tremendous honor to play 16 years for the Green Bay Packers. Now to have my name placed among others such as Starr, Hornung, Kramer, Taylor, Lambeau, Nitschke, Lombardi, Davis, White and Hutson is a special honor that I share with all of my teammates and coaches, and that would not have been possible but for the foresight of Ron Wolf, the greatest GM in the history of the NFL," Favre said in the statement. 

Monday's announcement will take place at 1:30 p.m. local time at Lambeau Field and will include appearances by Packers Hall of Fame Inc. president Perry Kidder, Packers president Mark Murphy and former Packers president Bob Harlan, who is a member of the Packers Hall of Fame executive committee. Favre will not appear at the event but will speak via telephone, the team said in an announcement Sunday night.

The signs of a reconciliation between Favre and the Packers have been apparent over the past year. Murphy said this offseason that the two sides had discussions about a return visit to Lambeau Field by Favre this past season, but it did not work out. Murphy has said several times that he hoped to have Favre inducted into the team's Hall of Fame and have Favre's number retired before he is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

Last month, in an interview on ESPN 1000 in Chicago, Favre said Harlan has been working as a liaison between him and the Packers Hall of Fame regarding his induction.

"In spite of what people may think -- and I really don't pay attention to what people are saying, I just know the facts -- the facts are that I feel like the relationship is a good relationship," Favre said. "I've had contact with Mark Murphy on a regular basis in regards to how we're going to do this, the ceremony. Bob Harlan ... is working diligently. He's kind of spearheading the Packer Hall of Fame/jersey retirement ceremony, and I have been working with him diligently on getting this done."

Favre came to Green Bay in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons on Feb. 11, 1992. He led the Packers to two Super Bowls, won one and won three NFL MVP awards. He announced his retirement on March 6, 2008, but decided later that summer that he still wanted to play. By then, the Packers had decided to go forward with Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback, a decision that divided Packers fans.

What followed was a drawn-out and, at times, ugly standoff that did not end until general manager Ted Thompson traded Favre to the New York Jets on Aug. 6, 2008. After one year with the Jets, Favre retired again but was convinced to come back and play for the Minnesota Vikings. He played two seasons in Minnesota, then retired for good.

"As time goes by, that's how I will be remembered -- as a Packer -- and that's how I want to be remembered," Favre said in the ESPN 1000 interview.