A video went viral on Tuesday that featured Mark Gastineau confronting Brett Favre in 2023 about Michael Strahan sacking the Green Bay Packers legend to break Gastineau’s single-season sack record.
In the final game of the 2001 season, Favre appeared to fall onto the field before being tackled by Strahan, giving the New York Giants legend the record (it’s since been tied by T.J. Watt).
Gastineau met Favre at a memorabilia event last year, saying Favre had “hurt” him, and he was going to “take my sack back” in a heated exchange.
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NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre.
Favre took to X later Tuesday to “clear the air on the footage.”
“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. I was trying to close out a game and squeeze the last bit of fun out of a hard-fought game,” Favre began.
“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 or tackle for loss. In a different game or situation, I would have made a bigger effort to avoid the sack or TFL. But at no point was I thinking about hurting Gastineau.
Defensive end Mark Gastineau, #99, celebrates during an NFL football game circa 1986. Gastineau played for the Jets from 1979-88. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
“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.”
Favre then wrote about how Gastineau’s value may have diminished not being the “Sack King,” but, “I had no way of knowing that then.
“There was no malice on my part. Mark was a great player. My understanding is 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.
“A while back, he saw me at a card show and got his frustration off his chest. It’s not the kind of moment that should be filmed and released. It was a private moment of frustration between two old football warriors… I hope this controversy brings attention to just how great Mark Gastineau was. He belongs in Canton.”
Michael Strahan, #92 of the New York Giants, celebrates breaking Mark Gastineau’s single-season sack record during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
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In an upcoming documentary featuring Gastineau and the rest of the New York Sack Exchange, Gastineau accused Favre of taking a “dive” “for” Strahan. Gastineau awaits Hall of Fame induction, while his partner on the defensive line, Joe Klecko, was recently inducted after a long wait.
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