Brett Favre's image takes a hit

Brett Favre is questionable. It's about the nicest thing you can say about him at this point.

His availability for Sunday's game against Dallas was listed as a 50-50 proposition by his team, the Minnesota Vikings.

His status in the minds of America might be more doubtful as the 20th season in the career of the most prolific passer in league history has become like a bawdy plot thread of an "American Pie" sequel. A straight-to-DVD sequel.

Stifler: You texted a picture of what? Dude, were you naked?

Favre: No, I was wearing Crocs.

Stifler: Oh. OK. How did that work out for you?

Cuethelaughtrack.And really, the whole thing is so tawdry it's hard not to laugh. The story began two months ago when the website Deadspin.com reported that Favre had attempted to seduce a woman employed by the Jets as a game-day host, reporting from the sideline. That attempt allegedly included lewd photos sent to her cellphone. The website has published the photos and voice messages with the caveat it could not definitively state they were from Favre.

The league is reportedly investigating the matter. Favre has not answered questions about it.

Now, there's a long history of men making stupid decisions with regard to members of the opposite sex. Some of those stupid decisions get people slapped. Some get fired.

And it's not exactly shocking that a superstar athlete would turn out to be a cad so egotistical to think that the way to a woman's heart is sending her a picture of his bathing-suit area. It's so outlandish that Justin Timberlake could write a song like that for "Saturday Night Live." Oh, wait. He's already done something similar.

And in the past few days, the attention has turned to the woman who received the messages, everything from how she became quasi-famous, to her appearance in Playboy, to the question of why she saved the messages from two years ago.

None of that matters.

She's not trying to press charges. She hasn't sued him. She hasn't even granted an interview to complain about what happened.

If Favre did indeed send those messages, is there anything she could have done that would excuse the fact that a married man — who is also one of the most famous athletes — decided that was an acceptable way to behave?

You can argue whether it was criminal or just tasteless, but there's no way to say that's an acceptable way to behave. And if the league determines Favre did send those messages, it would appear to condone his behavior if it does anything short of suspending him.

But what are we left to think?

Some will conclude he's a fantastic football player who's not that much more complicated than a 14-year-old boy. Some will feel that he's not behaving any differently than many men would if they thought they could get away with it. Some will compare him to Tiger Woods and argue who's more pathetic, while others will say the only thing that matters is how Favre plays between the white lines on Sunday.

But he will be talked about differently now.

For years, Favre has been the country's favorite good ol' boy. The guy who wears Wranglers and just loves to play football. Well, at least he loves to play it after hemming and hawing about retirement for a good four months every year.

But Favre never seemed like the creepy old man. Not until now, as he's become a punch line with this most undignified self-portrait.

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com