Favre to remain retired. Dammit.

Favre told the Minnesota Vikings today that he will remain retired.

ESPN's Ed Werder said that Favre's decision not to play for the Vikings was incredibly difficult, and in the process he indicated that he is unlikely to ever considering playing again in the NFL. "It was the hardest decision I've ever made,'' Favre said. "I didn't feel like physically I could play at a level that was acceptable. I would like to thank everyone, including the Packers, Jets and Vikings -- but, most importantly, the fans."

Favre, who had shoulder surgery in May, experienced soreness in both ankles and his left knee during his private workouts in Mississippi. The pain would not subside and worsened as he continued to prepare for a potential 19th NFL season, which Favre considered proof that his health was too precarious to be trusted for a 16-game season.

"I had to be careful not to commit for the wrong reasons,'' Favre said. "They were telling me, 'You went through all this, you had the surgery and you've got to finish it off.' But I have legitimate reasons for my decision. I'm 39 with a lot of sacks to my name."

Here are just a few of Favre's NFL records:

consecutive starts by a QB = 269 (291 including playoffs, 2nd all-time)
wins = 169
completions = 5720
attempts = 9280
pass yards = 65, 127
pass TD = 464
ints = 310