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STATEMENT FROM PACKERS GENERAL MANAGER TED THOMPSON: Brett Favre has informed us of his intention to retire from the Green Bay Packers and the NFL. He has had one of the greatest careers in the history of the National Football League, and he is able to walk away from the game on his own terms - not many players are able to do that. The Packers owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude. He has given Packers fans 16 years of wonderful memories, a Super Bowl championship among them, that will live on forever. Brett's many accomplishments on the field are legendary. He leaves the game holding virtually every career passing record, plus his consecutive starts streak, which may never be duplicated. The uniqueness of Brett Favre - his personality, charisma and love of the game - undoubtedly will leave him as one of the enduring figures in NFL history. Favre To Address Media Thursday; Watch Live On Packers.com Retired Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre will discuss the decision to "hang up his cleats" on Thursday, March 6, 2008, at 11 a.m. CST. Packers.com will broadcast this press conference in its entirety and free of charge, LIVE from Lambeau Field. Click here to watch live.

What people were saying about Packers quarterback Brett Favre after he retired on Tuesday: Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner "Brett Favre will always be remembered as one of the greatest players and fiercest competitors in NFL history. His long list of accomplishments both on and off the field is remarkable. Brett’s talent, enthusiasm and love of the game helped him become the only player to earn three MVP Awards and he was a vital part of bringing a Super Bowl championship back to Green Bay. It has been a joy and privilege for all of us to watch him play." Ron Wolf, former Packers GM "Everybody has copied his throwing style, but that was a unique Brett Favre thing, just wing it, sometimes underhand, sometimes behind the back, sometimes to a lineman, and a few times to the opposition. But that’s Brett Favre, and he did those types of things. I think he had a great deal of fun playing the game and he always played to win the game. (He) had great, great respect for the game and a greater respect for the people who played the game." Mike Holmgren, Seahawks coach "Brett's career accomplishments will be measured among the greats of the game for the balance of time. He truly was as gifted a player as I have ever seen, and as proud and amazed as I am of what Brett has accomplished on the playing field. The thing that impresses me the most is what kind of a man and leader he has become off the field since I have known him. I have taken great joy in watching him develop as a person and father -- perhaps even more so -- than as a coach watching his quarterback." Donald Driver, Packers wide receiver "A part of me is sad to hear that my friend and long-time teammate Brett Favre is retiring from the Green Bay Packers. However, I am happy that Brett is able to retire by going out on top with his health intact. It has been a great honor to play nine years with the best quarterback in NFL history. To go into the record books with Brett by catching the pass that broke the all-time NFL yardage record will be a moment that I will cherish the rest of my life." Andy Reid, Eagles coach "He always said not to watch him if you wanted to see how you’re supposed to throw the football. Technically, he’s not very good. But, the end result was a little bit like Arnold Palmer -- it’s not the prettiest swing in the world, but when the club head hit the ball, it was the best. That’s kind of how (Favre) was. When that ball came out of his hand, it was the best." Marty Mornhinweg, Eagles offensive coordinator "With Brett, there probably should be a new rule that you have to put ‘great’ in front of his name; ‘The great Brett Favre,’ because that’s the standard that he’s set." Mike Brown, Bengals team president "I’ve seen NFL quarterbacks for over 50 years now, and Brett Favre would be in my top handful. He was a great passer -- strong arm, quick release, accurate -- and he matched that ability with a competitive personality that made him even better. We gave him his first opportunity to shine, of course. We were leading the Packers (in 1992) and made the mistake of knocking Don Majkowski out of the game with an injury. Favre came off the bench and threw a couple touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and beat us (24-23). He started for them the next week and stayed there until now." Carson Palmer, Bengals quarterback "As a fellow player, I have nothing but the utmost respect for Brett. He’s one of the quarterbacks I watched a lot and really looked up to as a young teenager and through college. As great a passer as he was, the thing I really admired was his toughness. His record for most consecutive starts will never be broken. It’s one of the most amazing records in sports. I guarantee you, he gets an immense amount of respect from every quarterback in the NFL for that record." Jim Kelly, former Bills quarterback "He was always one of those quarterbacks you'd think could play forever. A gunslinger. Am I glad to see him retire? Yeah, ... because I'm glad he'll be able to walk away from the game." Bus Cook, Favre's agent "Nobody pushed Brett Favre out the door, but then nobody encouraged him not to go out that door, either." Ted Thompson, Packers GM "His accomplishments are legendary. And it's the passion with which he played that made everyone a Brett Favre fan." Lovie Smith, Bears coach "I think this announcement comes about 17 years too late and I don't know if I will completely believe it until Green Bay opens the season without No. 4 lining up under center. In all seriousness, no one has given more to our game than Brett Favre. There is no player I respect more." Tony Romo, Cowboys quarterback "His style of play was as unique as it was effective. I admired his skills, his leadership, and especially his love for playing the game. You knew he was having fun when he played, and that made him fun to watch. He set the standard at the position for a long time." Mike Shanahan, Broncos coach "Brett Favre is one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of professional football. You're judged by winning, and he's won more games than any other quarterback who has ever played." Marv Levy, former Bills coach "He was the prototypical gunslinger type. He's the type of guy where, 'Oh, what's he throwing into that crowd for?' But he had intuition, toughness, resilience. It helped to have a good cast around him, which he often did. Those are all qualities which good quarterbacks have." Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France winner "If people say to me, 'Who are the athletes you respect the most?' I would tell you that I respect Andre Agassi and Brett Favre the most because they were guys that played through pain, played through misery."