Favre explains controversial sack after video of tense Gastineau rift surfaces
A video of former New York Jets defensive lineman Mark Gastineau confronting Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre surfaced Tuesday as ESPN released a teaser of its latest 30 for 30 documentary, "The New York Sack Exchange."
A frustrated Gastineau approached Favre at a memorabilia show in Chicago last year. The 1982 Defensive Player of the Year seemingly refused to shake hands with the three-time NFL MVP and questioned Favre about his behavior while taking a sack from former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan in the final game of the 2001 regular season.
Strahan reached 22.5 sacks that year on the play, passing Gastineau's 22 sacks in 1984 to set a new NFL single-season record against Favre's Green Bay Packers. Many have speculated that Favre let Strahan get his record-breaking sack at the time, as Green Bay was already up by two possessions in the fourth quarter with less than 3:00 left.
22 years after losing the NFL single-season sack record, Mark Gastineau confronted Brett Favre for ‘taking a dive’ on the record-breaking play.
— ESPN (@espn) December 10, 2024
Catch the latest @30for30, 'The New York Sack Exchange,' on ESPN and ESPN+ starting Dec. 13. pic.twitter.com/Oz5KRwVcy7
"You fell down for him," Gastineau said at the time, alluding to Strahan's sack on Favre. "I'm going to get my sack back. I'm going to get my sack back, dude."
"You hurt me," Gastineau also said in the video while pointing at Favre. "You really hurt me, Brett."
Favre addressed ESPN's viral video on social media Tuesday evening. The 11-time Pro Bowler said he didn't try harder on the play because the Packers already had the game under control.
"Back in 2002, when Michael Strahan sacked me at the end of a game that we had wrapped up, I was in no way trying to hurt Mark Gastineau," Favre wrote in a series of tweets on X. "I was trying to close out a game and squeeze the last bit of fun out of a hard-fought game.
"I booted out of a run thinking it would be wide open, saw Strahan standing there and ducked down. The game was over. There was no need for me to do anything spectacular. It probably wasn't Michael's best sack."
In a different game or situation, I would have made a bigger effort to avoid the sack or TFL.
— Brett Favre (@BrettFavre) December 11, 2024
But at no point was I thinking about hurting Gastineau. 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…
Favre added that he understands Gastineau's frustration.
"We played a brutal game. Gastineau played during an era where guys didn't make generational wealth," Favre wrote.
I see now how being the Sack King would elevate his value at card shows, strengthen his case for the Hall of Fame, increase his demand as a public speaker.
— Brett Favre (@BrettFavre) December 11, 2024
I had no way of knowing that then. I realize now the potential financial implications because football is far more…
"He's a great guy and a fun teammate, a guy who played with the kind of joy and passion I tried to mimic. I understand his frustration, but I'm not his enemy," Favre continued.
Favre, 55, finished his Tuesday message by stating that Gastineau "belongs in Canton." Gastineau has never been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He amassed 107.5 career sacks while earning five Pro Bowl berths from 1979-88.