NFL
Brett Favre Earned a Reputation as ‘a Shower Bandit’ in the Green Bay Packers Locker Room
Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.
Get to know Joe Kozlowski betterPublished04 Sep 2020
During his time at Lambeau Field, Brett Favre developed into an NFL legend. While the quarterback didn’t seem destined for greatness coming out of college, everything changed in Green Bay; over the course of 16 seasons, he became the face of the franchise. That wasn’t the only distinction Favre held in the Packers locker room, though.
While Brett Favre made plenty of headlines with his on-field abilities, he also became known for a less conventional skill set. Among the Green Bay Packers, he developed a reputation as a “shower bandit.”
Brett Favre became a living NFL legend with the Green Bay Packers
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These days, every football fan knows the name ‘Brett Favre.’ During the early stages of his career, however, the quarterback was much less popular.
Favre played high school football at Hancock North Central High School in Kiln, Mississippi, and showed plenty of potential. When graduation rolled around, however, he only had one scholarship offer: that took him to the University of Southern Mississippi.
Once again, though, a similar story unfolded. Favre played well enough—he threw for 7,695 yards and 52 touchdowns over four seasons—but he didn’t attract too much attention. When the 1991 NFL draft rolled around, the Atlanta Falcons selected the quarterback in the second round; he barely got off the bench in his rookie season.
In February 1992, however, the Falcons traded Favre to the Green Bay Packers. Before long, he had stolen the starting job away from Don Majkowski; from there, the rest is history.
While he ultimately finished his career in Minnesota, Favre spent 16 seasons with the Packers, throwing for 61,655 yards and 442 touchdowns. He led the club to a Super Bowl title, claimed three NFL MVP awards, and became the face of the Green Bay franchise.
Having some fun as the Green Bay Packers ‘shower bandit’
When you imagine Brett Favre, you probably imagine him under center, ready to sling a pass down the field. In the Green Bay Packers locker room, though, he had a different reputation.
“When I first got there in 1996, I got traded to Green Bay,” safety Eugene Robinson told Tadd Haislop of the Sporting News. “And one of the first things I was told was, ‘Hey, watch out for Brett. He’s a shower bandit. He’ll turn your water hot or cold when you’re taking a shower. Or if you’re in there doing your business, you better watch out, man. He’ll hit you with a bucket of cold water.’ I said, ‘man get out of here. I didn’t believe him.”
Sure enough, though, Robinson quickly felt Favre’s wrath.
“Well one day I’m in there reading the newspaper, doing my business — and this is after practice and not that many people are around,” he continued. “I don’t know where this water came from … it comes over the top of the stall, and it’s cold water, and it shocks your system like no other. I go ‘Ahhhh!”
The safety tracked down Favre in the locker room and eventually got his own revenge, but he wasn’t able to escape the Packers ‘shower bandit.’
Brett Favre still earned a reputation as a great teammate
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While being a “shower bandit” might not seem like the best way to act as a leader in the locker room, the Green Bay Packers players didn’t mind Brett Favre’s antics. If anything, they were part of what made the quarterback a good teammate.
“Here’s why there will never be another Brett Favre,” former Packers safety LeRoy Butler told Rob Reischel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “When Brett Favre got there, you had black guys playing a game of spades, white guys playing backgammon, the younger guys playing video games, the older guys playing hearts. And Brett fit in with every culture.”
That ability to fit in with anyone—whether through music, games, or pranks—helped make the quarterback special.
“He was an unbelievable teammate,” Butler continued. “You felt like if you were in a foxhole with somebody, I want a son-of-a-bitch that when I’m asleep won’t put his gun down and will give his life for me. That’s Brett Favre. That’s Brett Favre. I want him in my foxhole.”
Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference and Pro-Football-Reference
