Brett Favre admits he checked into rehab more than people knew about
In his final column after 29 years of writing for Sports Illustrated, Peter King unveiled never-before-known Brett Favre news.
Favre, an admitted pain-pill addict during the early years of his career, informed King that he went to rehab three times for addiction issues in the 1990s, only one of which – a 72-day stay at a drug clinic in Kansas City – the public was aware of.
"I actually went to rehab three times," Favre told King.
The Hall of Fame quarterback said he checked in for pain pills in 1993 or 1994, spending 28 days at a rehab facility. He went back for pain-pill addiction during his MVP season with the Packers in 1995.
Once he kicked his Vicodin habit he began to drink in excess, admitting that his alcohol abuse led to a third rehab stint in 1998.
"This time it was strictly for drinking. I didn’t go back to the pills," Favre said. "I admitted my problem, I was in there 28 days, and it worked. When I got out, the toughest thing was the first three months, because I had to change my thought process.
Today's Top Stories
– Minnesota gains two more Fortune 500 companies
– The latest on Brian Dozier's future with the Twins
– Aaron Rodgers wants to play the rest of his career in Green Bay
"When I played golf before, I realized the only reason I wanted to play was to drink. After a while, instead of thinking, 'How many beers can we drink in 18 holes?' I fell into a pattern of what could I do to get good at golf. I realized with each passing day I really didn’t like drinking."
While King and Favre say his 72-day stay in rehab happened in 1995, previous interviews with Favre note that it happened in 1996. You can hear Favre's stories of taking 15 Vicodin every day in the video below.
Favre was a three-time NFL MVP, winning the award three straight seasons (1995-97).
He finished his career with two seasons, 2009 and 2010, with the Vikings.
