I was with the Packers the night Brett Favre played for his father.

Eight days from Smarter About Sports. Today I'm sharing one of the stories from the book that I still think about.

It was a Sunday afternoon in Oakland. The Packers had flown out a day early before a Monday Night Football game. Players had the day off. I got a call on my hotel room phone — which was odd. It was Bus Cook, Brett Favre's agent and close friend. He wasn't opening with a joke like he usually did. He was urgent. He said: "Where's Brett?"

Irv had died. Brett's father. Big Irv — he was around the team constantly, had friends all over that locker room. Heart attack.

We had to find Brett. We thought he was on the golf course. We were right.

What happened next — how Brett addressed that team, what he said, and what I watched on Monday Night Football from the sideline — is one of the most powerful things I've witnessed in 30 years in this business. It's in the book. Today I'm telling it.

📘 Eight days out. Pre-order Smarter About Sports on Amazon now — and tell a friend.