Brett Favre: Thanksgiving 'right fit' to unveil retired jersey at Lambeau

MADISON, Wis. -- Brett Favre couldn't think of a better night to return to Lambeau Field. He just wishes he could do it twice this year.

The former Green Bay Packers quarterback said Wednesday that the Thanksgiving night game against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 26 will serve as the perfect opportunity for his retired No. 4 to be unveiled at Lambeau.

"I felt like that was the right fit," Favre said Wednesday during a conference call to promote his flag football game this summer. "The tradition and the history between the Bears [and Packers] dates back long before any of us were around. Just some fun games and rivalries over the years, and so being a Thanksgiving game, just the magnitude of that in itself is huge. And to me, it's just the right fit, the right choice."

Favre was hoping to actually play one more game at Lambeau this year, but the Packers passed on the chance to host the Brett Favre's Legends Game on July 19, the day after his induction into the Packers Hall of Fame.

Instead, details of the game to be held at the University of Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium were announced Wednesday.

"I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't have been great to play at Lambeau, for obvious reasons," Favre said. "But it is what it is. They have to get ready for the season, and I guess it's relatively close to that, and they have some other events prior to our flag football game. This is not Lambeau, but it's pretty darn close. What a great place to play."

The Packers said earlier this month that the June 20 Kenny Chesney concert at Lambeau Field and their desire to keep the field in playing condition for the 2015 season caused them to pass on the event.

"Even though we don't tear the field apart, the scheduling was difficult for them because they wanted it ready [for the season]," said Marty Garafalo, the event's promoter. "They normally don't do any outside events there, one. But when we told them the date in July, we tried to do a June date, but these concerts take 10 days to get set up. They just didn't feel they had enough time to get the field in the condition. They take a lot of pride in that, I understood that.

"It was actually at Brett's suggestion to reach out to the University of Wisconsin and he said, 'We've had preseason games, love the community.' He explained to me how well people travel in Wisconsin, so he said, 'I think it would be a great venue for us.' That's how we ended up here."

The game will pit Favre and several of his former teammates -- including Mark Chmura, Frank Winters, Javon Walker and Andre Rison -- against an all-star team that will be quarterbacked by Donovan McNabb and will include Herman Moore, Ron Dayne, Roger Craig and others.

Tickets will go on sale June 3 and are available through UWBadgers.com.

When asked if it could be a precursor to a return to real football, the 45-year-old Favre joked: "Anything is possible. But we have to wear flags next year. I don't know if they'll let me do that. Although you guys are pretty secure at quarterback up there right now."

Fan access to Favre's induction into the Packers Hall of Fame sold out last week, when approximately 66,000 tickets to watch the ceremony on the Lambeau Field video boards were purchased within hours of their release.

"To say I was excited last week to find out so many tickets were sold to Lambeau so quickly, if there were any questions prior to that about how the fans felt about my return, I think those questions have been answered," Favre said. "This game is just another way to cap off that weekend in a fun way."