NFL legends Brett Favre and Mark Gastineau went viral on the Internet earlier today. In a video released by ESPN from the upcoming “The New York Sack Exchange” documentary, the two were seen confronting each other.
Gastineau was upset with how Favre intentionally got sacked by Michael Strahan in the final game of the 2001 NFL season, which broke the NFL’s all-time sack record held by the former New York Jets defensive end.
Mark Gastineau Confronting Brett Favre Sparks Reaction From NFL Fans
Strahan ended the season with 22.5 sacks, breaking Gastineau’s 17-year-old record of 22 sacks in the 1984 season. Gastineau looked emotional in the video while he was talking to Favre and was heard saying, “You really hurt me.”
Favre looked shocked by Gastineau’s comments as he didn’t expect the Jets legend to bring up an incident from over 20 years ago.
The video of the exchange between the two sparked several reactions from NFL fans on social media. Some fans supported Gastineau, but the majority took Favre’s side.
Gastineau has every right to be pissed off for 22 years.. Favre flopped and gave Strahan the record after Packers had game won. pic.twitter.com/1vbh7teo3t
— IB THE GAMBLER 🔌 (@incarceratedbob) December 10, 2024
“What an absolute clown show,” said one fan about Favre’s confrontation with Gastineau.
Another fan added, “I know it looked bad, but if you really study the play… Favre was going to get destroyed. Strahan had the angle and speed on him.”
Gastineau has a lot more serious issues he's dealing with. No athlete holds a grudge that long about such a petty point. As I recall from watching the play, Strahan went unblocked. https://t.co/CtTgaFItUx
— William Case (@casew9610) December 10, 2024
“No Class from Mark G. He hasn’t aged well either,” wrote a fan.
“22 years is a long time to hold on to this… What in life has Mark missed hyper-focusing on this?” said another fan.
mark gastineau is a fascinating guy. this is so real. https://t.co/hvGn4AnZ1l
— 💆🏽♂️ (@godspeedbrother) December 10, 2024
Even if Strahan had not sacked Favre, Gastineau’s record would not have been relevant now. Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt recorded 22.5 sacks in 2021 and, thus, shares the single-season sacks record with Strahan.
Gastineau finished his career with 107.5 sacks in 10 seasons, made the Pro Bowl five times, and was an All-Pro three times in his career.
Despite that, the 68-year-old has not been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s possible that Gastineau believes that if Strahan had not broken his record in 2001, he could have been a Hall of Famer by now.
Favre Clarifies Situation With Gastineau
After the video of Favre and Gastineau went viral, the former Green Bay Packers QB clarified the situation through a series of posts on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“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,” wrote Favre.
“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. There was no malice on my part… I understand his frustration, but I’m not his enemy.”
The Packers legend admitted that remaining as the sack leader would have helped Gastineau gain more recognition, but Favre didn’t do anything intentionally.
Favre further advocated that Gastineau deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and mentioned that he hopes that this controversy will help the Jets legend get the recognition he deserves.