Unless you live a completely media-free life (in which case you wouldn’t be reading this), you’ve heard the latest Brett Favre news. Doctors have told the Minnesota Vikings quarterback that if he returns for a 20th pro season, he will need surgery on his left ankle.

According to multiple reports, Favre faces a choice: undergo the procedure and return to the Vikings, or retire and end his 19-year NFL career. The three-time NFL MVP is reportedly weighing his options.

Favre’s ankle, injured in the 2009 NFC Championship Game, is still swollen and still hurts. He has sent the test results to famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, who has opined that Favre cannot play without the operation.

“We have talked,” Favre said in an email. “To play again, he would need the surgery, as he suspected. This decision would be easy if it weren’t for my teammates, the fans and the entire Vikings staff. One year really felt like 10, much like Green Bay for many years. That’s what was missing in my heart, I guess, a sense of belonging.”

how does this sound to you? Does it seem like Brett Favre has finally come to terms with the fact that even he’s not immune to the ravages of age and is seriously considering retirement? Or does it look like he’s leaning the other way, considering another comeback, a legitimate shot at a Super Bowl and a $12.5 million payday?

I think it will come back. I think he’ll have the surgery, miss training camp (which he despises) and take one more hit in the Super Bowl win. That is my story, and I will stick to it.

However, what strikes me most about this whole ordeal is not Brett Favre’s health or the difficult decision he must make in the coming months. What fascinates me is the fact that, in the NFL offseason, right after the much-hyped NFL Draft, with the NBA Playoffs in full swing, a 40-year-old quarterback still manages to get a big part of sports headlines.

Radio host and Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Stephen A. Smith often refers to Brett Favre as a “media whore.”

I am a huge fan of Smith and listen to his clever bombast almost every day of the week on the radio. I generally agree with his opinion on things. But in this case, I think Stephen A. is wrong.

Without a doubt, Favre loves the attention. He is at the end of a stellar career, one that will rank him in the top 10 professional quarterbacks of all time. He has been in the spotlight for most of his adult life, and he clings to it tooth and nail.

But Brett Favre is not a media whore.

Brett Favre is a media pimp.

Let’s examine the pimp-whore dynamic for a moment. The pimp tells the whore where to go and what to do. The pimp uses the prostitute to increase her personal wealth. And if the whore crosses the line, the pimp imposes some punishment.

Brett Favre has been leading the media by the nose for at least the last three years. He has told them where to go and what to do when they get there. It is very likely that he used the media to increase his personal wealth. And if a reporter has the temerity to question Favre’s motives, the quarterback has no problem cutting off the reporter’s access, which amounts to punishment.

Favre is by no means the only media pimp in this country. Most members of that species seem to reside in the world of politics. Many people would argue that our president is one of them, and while I am one of Obama’s rapidly declining supporters, I would find it hard to find fault with that argument.

Media pimps are rare in the world of sports, but they do exist. Tiger Woods is one. Michael Jordan, even in retirement, is one.

Brett Favre is one.

Just wait: This summer, Favre will have surgery on his ankle. He will appear near the end of Minnesota Vikings training camp. He will begin the regular season as the Vikings’ starting quarterback. And you will find out every step he takes during this process, because the media will tell you everything.

Iceberg Slim would be proud.