Almost four years ago, I settled into my seat in the upper deck of the Edward Jones Dome to watch the St. Louis Rams take on the Green Bay Packers. Our section had managed to avoid any of the notoriously well-traveled Packers fans for most of the pre-game ceremonies, but just prior to kickoff, an elderly couple shuffled by me. They showed no indications of Packers allegiance, but I realized their grandson was in tow—the young boy clad in a foam block of cheese that seemed much too heavy for his head and a green-and-yellow jersey with the number “4” across the back. When we asked his grandparents why they had traveled so far for this game, they responded simply: “We wanted him to see Brett before he retires. He’s the best ever.”

I couldn’t help but think about that young cheesehead when I saw this headline on ESPN.com: “NFL reviewing allegations of racy Brett Favre messages.” The story originally broke on the sport website Deadspin with information from New York Jets employee Jenn Sterger. The website acquired several voicemails asking Sterger to meet Favre in his hotel room, a request Sterger claims she never agreed to. If that wasn’t bad enough, Favre, husband of his high-school sweetheart (a cancer survivor), a father of two with a grandchild, also allegedly sent picture messages of his penis to Sterger. Thank goodness that young Packers fan now has a Super Bowl victory to distract him because “the best quarterback ever” should know better than to sext. A grandfather should know better than to sext.

Sending illicit text messages isn’t becoming of a college freshman, let alone a 41-year-old professional athlete. In fact, it’s sexual harassment. I’m disturbed by the fact that the argument among sports pundits seems to be “will this affect Favre’s legacy?” I think it’s clear that it should.

Favre used to define the word “legacy” in the NFL lexicon, but if no one can mention your Super Bowl victory without a disclaimer about your place in the “Creepy Hall of Fame,” your identity as a man that young boys could look up to as a role model on and off the football field is long gone. To those who say that his undeniable skill as a quarterback should define him in the memories of football fans, I would point to a number of quarterbacks who have also presented incredible talent, earned as many (or more) Super Bowl rings than Favre and also managed to be savvy enough to avoid harassing young women. If what makes someone the all-time best at his position is subjective, why shouldn’t Favre’s legacy be replaced by the likes of Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Kurt Warner?

It’s the most trite argument about celebrities: Whether they like it or not, they’re role models. Young boys looking up to NFL players as heroes is inevitable. My buddy from that game in 2007 looked up to Brett Favre along with millions of other youngsters, including some who have become NFL quarterbacks in their own right, but I certainly hope they don’t anymore.

The argument that instances like those between Favre and Sterger are unimportant, common occurrences in pro-athlete culture because of the fast-paced, luxurious, powerful lives the pros lead is an insult to the men who have found it easy to be both athletically talented and morally upstanding.