Quarterback Brett Favre pauses as he cries during a news conference announcing that he was retiring from football on Thursday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Once again, Brett Favre tried to reach down deep for whatever it was that allowed him to put aside the pain and find his rightful place under center in 275 straight games for the Green Bay Packers.

It wasn't there any more.

So Favre put a strong arm around his tearful wife, Deanna, and walked off the stage — presumably for good.

Favre confirmed his retirement in a news conference at Lambeau Field Thursday, choking on his emotions as he spoke.

"I've given everything I possibly could give to this organization, the game of football, and I don't think I've got anything left to give," Favre said, two days after the Packers announced his intention to retire. "And that's it. I know I can play. But I don't think I want to."

Favre leaves the game with a Super Bowl victory, virtually every quarterback record worth having and the widespread admiration of his peers and fans.

He said he has no regrets and nothing left to prove, but did admit to having a "knot the size of a basketball" in his throat as he pondered his final day as a Packer.

Wearing an untucked, collared shirt, jeans and several days' worth of stubble, one of the toughest men in a tough man's business could only spit out a word or two at times before pausing to gather himself.

Although he spoke for a little more than an hour, Favre struggled just to get through the first minute of his opening statement, words he tried to piece together as he sat by himself on a plane ride from his home in Mississippi to Green Bay that morning.

"I promised myself I wasn't going to get emotional," Favre said, taking a deep breath. "It's never easy."

But Favre also flashed his playful sense of humor, admitting that he spent part of Wednesday night watching his career highlights on television.

"I realized what it's like to die," Favre joked.

But he was dead serious about his decision: He's finished with football.

"It's been a great career for me," Favre said. "It's over. As hard as that is for me to say, it's over."

Favre is the NFL's only three-time MVP, and leads the league with 442 touchdown passes, 61,655 yards passing and 160 career victories.

He started 253 consecutive regular-season games, more than any other quarterback in history. Including the playoffs, his streak stands at 275.

Favre also holds the more dubious mark of 288 interceptions — an indication of the wild streak that only made him more human to the fans who adored him.