Pro athletes receive so much scrutiny in our culture in, well, virtually every arena in their lives– on and off the field, in public and private. Their actions seem to have such a polarizing affect on public perception– either favorably or unfavorably. Of course, the latter is what makes the big headlines.

Take on-field performance off the table, and what you have in Brett Favre is quite simply a gracious, humble, and upstanding public figure who recognizes what is good in his life, and shares it with others. You may have heard that he was selected as the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year for 2007, but if you haven’t read the article, you really should.

Also take a look at this video from Packers dot com where Brett was honored with the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Chris Greicius Celebrity Award.

Both show that, no matter what the team does on the field, no matter how many records he breaks, or touchdowns he throws, Favre isn’t only an exceptional football player, he is a human being we can all look up to.