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In less than a week, Brett Favre formally reunites with the Green Bay Packers, the team with which he built his legendary career. With training camp still weeks away, The Return will dominate the headlines in Green Bay well into the weekend.
For those happy to see the two sides finally come back together, the event marks the end of an often-uncomfortable period. Those forever put off by the quarterback's ugly departure may approach the weekend as reminder of a painful sports memory. In any case, the reunion provides a welcome opportunity to revisit and reexamine the career of one of the truly transformative players of the past twenty years.
With that in mind, let's jump into some Favre stories and other news from around the league.
Brett Favre starts his whirlwind tour | ESPN
Most of the national attention with Favre focuses on his induction into the Packers Hall of Fame and the flag football game he hosts the following day in Madison. However, Favre also receives induction into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame on August 1.
Best & worst case scenarios: Packers undrafted wide receivers | 247 Sports
Our old friend Brian Carriveau dives into each of the Packers' four undrafted rookie wideouts and discusses what could make or break them during training camp and the preseason. As you may have guessed, getting on the same page as the quarterbacks will play a large role in determining their fate.
Community-owned Packers put Green Bay on map | Toronto Sun
It's fascinating that Toronto, a city that has longed for an NFL team for some time, has taken an interest in how Green Bay managed to build and maintain one of its own.
Study: Bears Fans More Loyal Than Packers Fans | NBC Chicago
If you're wondering how this conclusion was reached, the study says, "The Steelers and Packers have great fan followings... And these teams will do better when we switch to non-financial metrics such as social media following. But for the current "revenue premium" model these teams just don't price high enough. In a way, these teams with massive season ticket waiting lists are the most supportive of their fans."
Greg Hardy suspension reduced to four games | NFL.com
The basis for Hardy's shortened suspension was the magnitude to which the league harshened the punishment "over prior cases without notice." Given that precedent, it will be interesting to see what the league does to Tom Brady's four-game ban.