Packers: Favre induction ceremony broadcast inside stadium

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - The stadium bowl at Lambeau Field will be open for fans who cannot make it inside the venue's atrium to attend quarterback Brett Favre's induction ceremony into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

A banquet and number retirement ceremony scheduled for July 18 inside the atrium is sold out. The atrium seats about 1,600, which had some shareholders and fans complaining about not being able to attend the ceremony.

So the Packers announced Friday that $4 tickets will be sold for stadium bowl viewing on the TundraVision video boards.

"This being a first in Packers history, it's opened a lot of new doors for us. We're excited about it. It's a national event that's going to get a lot of acclaim," Packers chairman emeritus Bob Harlan said. "We think it will go down in Packers history as the best dinner ever."

Favre and the team are mending relations following their messy split in 2008, when Favre changed his mind about retirement and was traded to the New York Jets. Favre hasn't visited Lambeau Field since retiring for good in 2010.

The team induction banquet usually attracts about 1,000 people. Harlan isn't sure how many fans might show up to sit in the stadium bowl.

One of the reasons the team needed to sell tickets was to get an estimate of the crowd for security reasons, Harlan said. Organizers decided not to hold the entire event outside on the field to avoid any weather delays.

Favre is scheduled also make an appearance in the bowl to address the crowd. Tickets go on sale May 12 with a limit of eight per order. Net proceeds will go to the charitable organization, Favre 4 Hope.

Favre is also expected back this fall for a regular-season game, when his name and retired No. 4 will be unveiled on the north facade inside the stadium.

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