Packers embroiled in retirement controversy

GREEN BAY, WI — Earlier this year, he announced he was leaving the Green Bay Packers and the National Football League behind. He already had a storied career, he was already part of a championship team, and at his advanced age it was time for him to step aside and spend more time with his family.

But then a funny thing happened.

As the 2008 NFL season got closer and closer, ex-Packers beer vendor Brad Farr found himself thinking more and more about how he yearned to be part of the team once again – he just wanted one more year.

“I know I retired in March, but that was an emotional decision. It wasn’t really based on reason,” Farr said. “I’ve applied for reinstatement, the ball is in the Packers court now.”

Farr is truly the legend of all legends among beer vendors. He’s spent the past 16 years as the lead vendor for Green Bay, after a year of working the concession stand in Atlanta.

During his lengthy tenure with the Packers, Farr has set every meaningful record there is to set. In 2006, he broke the record for most ID’s checked in a season, and the next year he set the career mark. Farr also holds records in most beers served, lowest single-season spill percentage (only two percent spills in 1998) and most career stairs climbed.

The normally modest Farr is – understandably – proud of his career.

“If there’s a beer vendor record out there, I own it,” he said. “And I’m not being cocky, I’m just being real.”

So, it’s a no-brainer that if the all-time greatest beer vendor wants back in the game, the Packers will bring him back with no questions asked, right? Wrong.

Four years ago the Packers hired a vendor fresh out of college named Roger Adams. After working his way up to junior beer vendor, Roger was given Farr’s job after Brad’s retirement announcement. And the senior vendor’s return obviously leaves the team in an awkward position.

“We think Roger is ready to take this thing over,” said Packers GM Ted Thompson. “He’s worked hard for us, and we’ve made a commitment to him. We appreciate everything that Farr has done for us over the years, but we believed it was time to move on, and we’ve done just that.”

That brings us to our current stalemate. The Packers have told Farr he could return, but as a junior beer vendor, and clearly the longtime lead vendor has no interest in that position. The team is also reluctant to release him from his contract, for fear he will sign with division foes Minnesota or Chicago, two teams that had awful beer service last year.

“It’s beer, and it’s supposed to be fun,” Thompson said. “But this is one of those no-win situations, and I’m not sure I have any answers. It’s enough to drive a guy to drink.”

It’s going to be tough for this sport to sweep any nations, but it’s still pretty frickin’ cool!