Former New York Jets star Mark Gastineau confronted Brett Favre last year at a memorabilia show and angrily accused the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback of deliberately going down on a record-breaking sack.
The tense exchange is shown in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary “The New York Sack Exchange,” which premieres Friday. It chronicles the Jets' fearsome foursome defensive line of the 1980s that included Gastineau, Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons and the late Abdul Salaam.
Gastineau set an NFL record with 22 sacks in 1984, but Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan broke the mark when he sacked Favre in 2002 in a game between the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers. It was a controversial play on which many have accused Favre of purposely taking the sack so Strahan could set the single-season record with 22 1/2.
The documentary shows Gastineau approach Favre during a show in Chicago. The two shake hands, with Favre saying he thinks they've met previously. Gastineau then tells the former quarterback: “Yeah, right, when you fell down for him. I'm going to get my sack back. I’m going to get my sack back, dude.”
Favre tries to make light of the situation, joking that Gastineau “probably would hurt me.”
The former sack king fired back: "Well, I don’t care. You hurt me. You hurt me! You hear me? You really hurt me. You really hurt me, Brett.”
The situation was quickly defused when Favre was escorted from the area.
NFL
In an interview shown in the documentary, Gastineau reiterates what he told Favre in person.
"Anybody will tell you that Brett Favre took a dive,” he said.
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After the clip went viral on social media Tuesday, Favre posted a thread on X “to clear the air on the footage released showing a small dustup” between him and Gastineau.
“I booted out of a run thinking it would be wide open, saw Strahan standing there and ducked down,” Favre said. “The game was over. There was no need for me to do anything spectacular. It probably wasn’t Michael’s best sack or tackle for loss.”
Favre went down, Strahan got the sack and set the NFL record, which was later tied by Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt in 2021.
“In a different game or situation, I would have made a bigger effort to avoid the sack or TFL,” Favre said of the regular-season finale, won 34-25 by Green Bay. “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.”
Gastineau, who was one of the league's early sack kings and biggest personalities, is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“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,” Favre wrote. "I had no way of knowing that then. I realize now the potential financial implications because football is far more business-oriented than when me or Mark played.
“There was no malice on my part.”
Favre added that he understands Gastineau's frustration but said, “I'm not his enemy.” He bemoans that the incident was filmed and released to the public.
“It was a private moment of frustration between two old football warriors,” Favre said, adding that he has “a great deal of respect” for Gastineau and hopes he someday joins him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“Mark definitely left an indelible mark on the game,” Favre wrote. “I hope this controversy brings attention to just how great Mark Gastineau was. He belongs in Canton. Merry Christmas, everyone.”
