Favre tells magazine damage is already done to body, so another season won’t make a difference

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Favre says he’s not worried about his beat-up body

MINNEAPOLIS — Brett Favre was badly beat up in Minnesota’s overtime loss at New Orleans last January, a well-documented part of that epic NFC championship game.

The grandfather of NFL quarterbacks, however, doesn’t sound worried about his health as it relates to returning for a 20th season.

“Playing another year probably isn’t going to make a difference. The damage has already been done,” Favre told Men’s Journal magazine for the issue that will go on sale on Friday.

Favre also explained his thought process on the fateful fourth-quarter interception against the Saints in that game, an on-the-run pass to Sidney Rice that was forced into tight coverage. Favre said they connected on the same play the week before against the Dallas Cowboys, expecting Rice to come back toward him.

“As a player you’ve got to pull the trigger,” Favre said. “You can’t say, ‘Well, is he going to do what I think he’s going to do?’ He wasn’t wrong, and in some ways, I wasn’t either.”

The Vikings are still waiting to learn whether Favre will come back, with training camp a little more than two weeks away. His agent, Bus Cook, told The Associated Press in an e-mail on Wednesday he had no update on Favre’s status.

“Nothing yet,” Cook said.

Favre and teammate Greg Lewis shared the best play trophy at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. Favre didn’t appear backstage to speak with reporters.

“I really couldn’t get a read on whether he’s coming back or not,” Lewis told reporters. “I hope he comes back. It was great playing with him. He’s a great person as well. He’s just fun to hang around.”

In the wide-ranging interview with Men’s Journal, Favre expressed the usual uncertainty about continuing his decorated, drama-filled career. He offered candid details, claiming he was so dehydrated during a comeback victory over the San Francisco 49ers that he went 13 hours without urinating.

Favre also spoke proudly about his exceptional first season with Minnesota in which he threw 33 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions, wondering aloud whether he could repeat that feat.

“I’ve had games when I almost threw seven picks,” Favre said. “It was unreal. Before last year, I’d reached a point where I was sitting in meetings with guys 15 years younger than me thinking, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ Football became work. But last year it went back to being a game.”

Favre said he did doubt his decision to unretire for a second straight year and sign with the Vikings, even as he was making the commitment.

“I thought, ‘This is a mistake,’” Favre said.

As for whether he’ll be on the field again this season?

“You’d think I’d know better by now. I’ve learned a lot through the years. What I haven’t learned is what I’ll do and when I’ll do it,” Favre said.