0 Comments
Brett Favre could lose big if sponsors abandon him
Yet as Favre tried to mount one of his trademark comebacks, Dwight Lowery picked off an errant throw and returned it 26 yards for a game-sealing touchdown with 1:30 to play, as the Jets won 29-20 to move to 4-1 for the season.
The Vikings dropped to 1-3 with a crucial clash against Dallas (1-3) up next on Sunday. Favre completed just 14 for 34 passes for 264 yards for the Vikings, and his three second-half touchdowns were not enough to keep pace with the Jets, as Nick Folk kicked five field goals, two coming after Favre fumbles.
Shonn Greene’s 23-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave the Jets a 22-13 lead that appeared to seal the victory, but Favre still had plenty of time to try for a comeback and his second touchdown strike to Percy Harvin brought them within two points.
However, when Favre, 41, then handed the game to Lowry, it sealed a miserable and costly week.
Just as sports figures like Tiger Woods, Rick Pitino and Ben Roethlisberger have damaged their reputations and marketability as corporate endorsers and public speakers with their own sex scandals,
Favre’s future earnings from endorsements, speaking engagements, and work as a TV studio analyst could also be in grave jeopardy. The NFL are currently looking into allegations that he sexually harassed a co-worker during his stint with the Jets in 2008.
If suspended under the NFL’s strict personal conduct policy, it is estimated he could lose $100,000 a year at least. Favre earned approximately $7m last year through deals with Wrangler jeans, Remington hunting rifles and Snapper’s line of lawnmowers.
He also had endorsement deals with Nike, Smart Car, and MasterCard among others, playing off his family-man persona. Roethlisberger was recently handed a four-game suspension by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after alleged sexual transgressions.
He will return to the Pittsburgh starting line-up this weekend when the Steelers face the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field. He will have plenty of time to resurrect his career and win hearts and minds – and big endorsement deals. Favre, already laid low with tendinitis in his throwing arm and hobbled by a long-standing ankle injury, does not have the same luxury as Big Ben.
Fellow Hall of Fame quarterbacks Dan Marino and Steve Young earn more than $1m a year from TV work and Favre, who holds the all-time records for passing yardage, touchdowns, pass completions and most consecutive starts, could arguably command a similar fee on his retirement.
In total, three women have so far come forward claiming that Favre sent them unwelcome texts, phone calls and emails. With Goodell keen to stress that image is everything in the NFL, the timing of these allegations could not be worse.
While it is a stretch to think he will be given the cold-shoulder, he will surely lose out financially in the short-term. While he could agree to a confidential settlement, rather than have one party pursue litigation, it is clear that ‘No4’ could soon be suffering a severe dent in his wallet.
