I used to like him. I really did. With the whole, “aw, shucks” persona he had going,Brett Favre was hard to dislike.

It used to be that speaking any ill of #4 was met with confused glances, scrunched-up faces, and all-around annoyance at you for even mustering up the courage to belittle such a likeable man. If there were a “World’s Favorites” competition, Favre would probably win the majority of the awards, if not sweep them. Friend to coaches, teammates, fans and even referees, he was a guy’s guy who could also charm the ladies.

Unfortunately for the “Comeback Kid,” all the above is said in the past tense, and will stay in the past. He has come to the end of his road, finishing it not like a champion, but like a loser.

With his patented wink and smile routine, Favre could control a room. When he retired for the first time in Green Bay, we felt his sincerity and teared up with him. And then he came back for the Jets, which was weird, but acceptable. One more go for #4? Sure! And I’ll take those Wrangler jeans while I’m at it, too. He grasped our attention and support when he led them to an 8-3 record, and earned our empathy when they sputtered out in the end. Then he retired again, only to come back the next year in a Vikings uniform.

However, he did do extremely well that year, almost getting to the Super Bowl in those hideous eggplant purple unis. And then he retired again, only to come back to the team with maybe two minutes left on the clock in the 2010 training camp. Cool, Favre. Way to cop out big time. However, this move proved to be pivotal, as at this exact point in time, Favre lost the collective hearts of the nation.

People respected him for gutting it out and playing for the pure love of the game. Even though his tendonitis began to catch up with him over these past years, he still had the loyalty of (most of) America.

Being bombarded with commercials of Favre selling everything from tractors to rifles was palatable due to the fact that we could stand him, no matter how much our undying love for him was beginning to wane.

However, with new events coming to light — a couple of inappropriate, gross-out photos sent via text by Mr. Favre to a Jets hostess — his character is now called into question. America can accept an aging star losing his abilities to Father Time. However, you begin to lose us at “scandal” or “extramarital affair.” Indeed, I always try to separate the player from the person. In this case, however, I can’t overlook how selfish and egotistical he has become during his post-Packers era. If the allegations that he sent those yuck pictures to the Jets employee are true, then he, as well as his reputation, is worse off than I thought. It is sad that he didn’t quit while he was ahead, because the road ahead of him is sure to be a long one, and maybe a lonely one, too.

Daily Nexus columnist Julia Speace is still kind of charmed by Favre’s Wrangler commercials with the Golden Retrievers.