Driver says he’ll be ready if Packers call

6/17/2013

APPLETON, Wis. — Donald Driver will be ready to go if the Green Bay Packers call and say they needed his help.

Other NFL teams, however, needn’t bother.

Green Bay’s all-time leading receiver announced his retirement Jan. 31 after 14 years in the NFL — all with the Packers. Driver says he still loves the game, but he promised Packers fans he’d never play for another team.

“At the end of the day, if I get that itch, it would only be for the green and gold,” he said. “If the Packers called me and said, ‘Drive, come back to training camp,’ I’d be back for training camp. But until then, I’ll be sitting at home and just watching football.”

He added: “I think the thing for me is if the Packers call midseason, I’d be in shape. I’ve been staying in shape.”

Driver was back in northeastern Wisconsin over the weekend. On Saturday, a street in downtown Green Bay was renamed “Donald Driver Way” and a statue in his likeness was unveiled. On Sunday, he held his annual charity softball game in Appleton, an event he plans to continue in retirement.