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Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre addressed a viral clip in which he was confronted by former New York Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau.
A clip shared on Tuesday (December 10) previewing Gastineau's upcoming ESPN 30 for 30 documentary showed the former defensive end approach Favre at an event in 2003 and accuse the former Green Bay Packers quarterback of taking "a dive" on the play that credited then-New York Giants defensive end and eventual Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan with a sack to break Gastineau's single-season record in 2002.
Favre, a friend of Strahan's, rolled out to his side and slid to give the Giants star his 22.5 sack of the season, breaking Gastineau's record by 0.5, during the final seconds of their regular season finale game at Giants Stadium.
“In a different game or situation, I would have made a bigger effort to avoid the sack or [tackle for loss]. But at no point was I thinking about hurting Gastineau,” Favre wrote on his X account Tuesday. “Maybe it crossed my mind to help Strahan. I didn’t think it through. That wasn’t my forte at the time. I just wanted to have fun and compete. In retrospect, I understand how Gastineau feels. We played a brutal game. Gastineau played during an era where guys didn’t make generational wealth.”
Gastineau said "I'm gonna get my sack back" and "you hurt me" to Favre during the exchange, which drew criticism from many social media users, as well as former teammates who participated in the 30 for 30 documentary.
“I have a great deal of respect for Mark. I hope one day he joins me in the Hall of Fame. He earned it. Look at his numbers. He eclipsed 20 sacks twice and had 19 in another year!” Favre added in another post. “Mark definitely left an indelible mark on the game. I hope this controversy brings attention to just how great Mark Gastineau was. He belongs in Canton.”
Gastineau recorded a career-best 22.0 sacks in 1984 -- having previously led the league with 19.0 sacks in 1983 -- before Strahan broke his single-season NFL record with 22.5 during the 2001 season. The FOX Sports analyst and Good Morning America host still holds the record, though it was tied by Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt in 2021.