In late February 1996, Brett Favre was recovering from routine ankle surgery when he suffered a seizure in the hospital, a harrowing incident that brought his addiction to Vicodin into the public eye. Favre had been grappling with a growing dependence on the painkiller, taking as many as 15 pills at once during the 1995 season. “Is he going to die?” His daughter, who was present in the hospital room, asked her mother.
The seizure served as a wake-up call, leading him to acknowledge his addiction and seek treatment. He entered a rehabilitation program in May 1996, spending 46 days at a facility in Kansas City to address his dependency. Fast forward to 2018, and Brett Favre revealed that it was his wife (then fiancée), Deanna Favre, who asked him to go to rehab.
“Deanna and [agent] Bus [Cook] talked me into it. I didn’t think I had a problem, but they talked me into it. I went for 28 days. When I got out, I was able to control myself for a while,” Favre recalled while talking to Peter King of Sports Illustrated. Thanks to that, Favre conquered his addiction and led the Green Bay Packers to victory in Super Bowl XXXI.
And now, as Brett and Deanna are about to complete 29 years of their wedding, the Packers legend took to his official ‘X’ handle and shared an emotional note for his wife. “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22 .” He wrote in his post. Favre’s relationship with Deanna is well documented.
“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 18:22 pic.twitter.com/2lEaCtzbMj
— Brett Favre (@BrettFavre) April 8, 2025
The couple first met in a small town named Kiln, Mississippi, when they were just 14 years old and began dating during their high school years. Deanna was a sophomore, and Brett was a freshman when their relationship started. The couple welcomed their first daughter, Brittany, back in 1989. However, their relationship took a sudden turn after Favre was drafted by the Falcons in the 1991 NFL draft.
As his career took off with the Packers, Deanna was left in Mississippi with her daughter. Though she moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to live with Favre back in 1995, their relationship was still stained due to Favre’s NFL fame and his addiction to Vicodin. Initially, Deanna described Brett as “loud, rough, and often hateful,” considering the Packers’ legend would avoid her and their daughter.
At one point, Deanna considered leaving him, but considering Favre was struggling with drug addiction, she was worried that his addiction would get worse. “Without pills, I’d fall asleep at 9:30,” Favre recalled while talking with King. “But with pills, I could get so much done, I just figured, ‘This is awesome.’ Little did I know Deanna would be finding some of my pills, and when she did, she’d flush them down the toilet.”
Favre, alongside Deanna, publicly announced his addiction back in 199,6, and after recovery, he credited her as the reason he overcame his addiction. Right after that went down, the NFL legend proposed to Deanna, and the couple tied the knot on July 4th, 1996. But even after tying the knot, the two still had plenty of battles to face together.
Brett Favre and Deanna Favre’s journey to a deeper love
After getting married back in 1996, Brett and Deanna Favre welcomed their second daughter, Breleigh, in 1999. However, the couple became estranged over Favre’s drinking habits, which the QB was struggling to overcome. “When I drank, did I drink one beer and go home? I thought, ‘What a waste. Why drink one beer? Why not drink 20?’ That’s a problem,” Favre said about his drinking problem. But when Deanna threatened to leave him permanently, Favre went to rehab. For the second time.
“I knew I had a problem. It was what I did when I drank, the choices I made. So I had said, ‘I am not drinking anymore.’ My wife said, ‘I don’t want to hear it. I’ve heard it so many times.’ And I said, ‘You’re right. I’m gonna go to rehab,” he said. “… I went to please her and to show everyone that I was serious. But I was not gonna drink again. And I haven’t taken a drop since 1998.” But if you think the couple had cleared every hurdle once Brett kicked the bottle—thing again.
A few years later, back in 2004, Deanna was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 33. After discovering a lump during a self-exam, she underwent a lumpectomy followed by five months of chemotherapy. Throughout this challenging period, Deanna leaned heavily on her faith and the support of loved ones, especially her husband. After her recovery, she established the Deanna Favre Hope Foundation, dedicated to supporting women’s breast health initiatives.
CANTON, OH – AUGUST 06: Brett Favre (R), former NFL quarterback, and his wife Deanna (L), pose with his bronze bust during the NFL Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on August 6, 2016 in Canton, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Amidst this challenging phase of her life, Deanna later described her relationship with Brett Favre as stronger than ever. “All the stuff we’ve been through over the years has molded us into two different people. It’s awesome to think where we started and where we are now … [O]ur relationship has gotten to a much stronger point, a deeper love; we have so much respect and love for each other,” she said in an interview.
A real glimpse of how solid their bond is? That moment in 2016, when Brett got inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And yep, it was Deanna who introduced him. Says a lot, doesn’t it?. “Deanna is the best teammate I’ve ever had,” Favre said in a statement. “She has been my side throughout this journey, and I’m so excited that she gets to play such an important role for me. Having my wife introduce me was an easy choice, considering she was there long before my first touchdown pass, long after the last.”
At the end of the day, no matter the battles they’ve faced—on the field or off—Brett and Deanna Favre are still going strong and living that happily ever-after life.
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