Call it divorce scandal déjà vu, but divorce attorneys in Pasadena and gossip columnists alike feel like they've lived through Brett Favre's recent infidelity allegations before. The lewd text messages sent to a would-be mistress, a stoic wife now avoiding the press and a sports superstar under the microscope all bring back not-so-fond memories of the Tiger and Elin Woods marital debacle of 2009. With an investigation by the National Football League underway, football fans are wondering if Brett Favre is destined for a Tiger-like flameout.
The 41-year-old Favre, who plays quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, often is on the receiving end of hits from sports journalists who proclaim the star is over-the-hill and overpaid. But generally, Favre has been portrayed in the press as a devoted husband and family man. That image was blown out of the water last month when Jenn Sterger, a former Playboy model who had professional contact with Favre during her stint as a promotional correspondent for the New York Jets, claimed the athlete had aggressively pursued her. Sterger told friends that Favre had bombarded her with suggestive text messages and pictures of his genitals. Days after the news broke of the Sterger and Favre scandal, another woman came forward and accused Favre of sending her similar text messages and photos.
By the end of October, Favre had admitted he did in fact leave Sterger several messages but denied sending photos. Since both Sterger and Favre were employees of the NFL at the time of the allegations, the organization has opened an investigation. The NFL hopes to speak to Sterger to determine how Favre got her phone number and how long the interaction lasted. However, Sterger has all but vanished from sight and has denied interview requests with the NFL.
Meanwhile, Favre's wife Deanna refused to go into details of the scandal when she was recently interviewed byGood Morning America. In her 2007 autobiography, Deanna Favre admitted that she caught her husband red-handed talking to other women on the phone and that she was worried her husband would be unfaithful.