Brett Favre tries to ‘clear the air’ after Mark Gastineau angrily confronts him

• Brett Favre sent a lengthy statement in an attempt to “clear the air” about his feud with former New York Jets player Mark Gastineau
• Gastineau blamed Favre for taking a “dive” so his friend Michael Strahan could surpass Gastineau’s record for most sacks — and believes he was left out of the Hall of Fame because of it
• Favre explained his side and advocated that Gastineau should “join” him in the Hall of Fame

Brett Favre wants to clear the air about his feud with former Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau – who accuses Favre of costing him his Hall of Fame spot.

Favre, 55, explained his side — and even advocated for 68-year-old Gastineau to earn a spot in the Hall — in a lengthy message on social media Tuesday, Dec. 10, following a viral clip from ESPN’s upcoming 30 for 30 documentary. , New York Sack Exchange, showed a tense interaction between the two.

The former NFL players’ feud dates back to 2002. Gastineau — who played in the ’80s and once held the league record for most sacks in a season — saw his record broken in 2001-02 by Michael Strahan. Strahan’s season-leading sack that year came against his friend Favre, whom Gastineau accused of deliberately taking a “dive” to secure the record for Strahan.

In the 30 for 30 clip, from a confrontation between the two in 2023, Gastineau tells a surprised Favre, “You hurt me” and reminds him of “when you fell for (Strahan).”

Favre posted his statement on December 10 on both X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram regarding the incident, claiming there was “no malice on my part” in an attempt to settle their feud.

“I want to clear the air on the released footage that shows a little dustup between myself and Mark Gastineau, the former New York Jet,” Favre began. “Back in 2002, when Michael Strahan fired me at the end of a fight that we had finished, I was in no way trying to hurt Mark Gastineau.”

Favre — who announced in September that he is battling Parkinson’s disease — said he was “trying to close out a game and squeeze the last fun out of a hard-fought game” during the 2002 game. , that it would be wide open, so Strahan stood there and ducked down.”

The former Packers star continued, “In another game or situation, I would have made a greater effort to avoid the sack or the TFL,” but in that 2002 game, “at no point did I think about hurting Gastineau. ”

Favre went on to admit, “I understand how Gastineau feels,” sympathizing with the former Jets star because Gastineau played “in an era where guys weren’t making generational wealth.”

“I see now how being the Sack King would raise his value at card shows, strengthen his case for the Hall of Fame, increase his demands as a public speaker,” Favre wrote, admitting he had “no way of knowing back then.”

“I now realize the potential financial impact because football is much more business-oriented than when Mark or I played,” Favre added.

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In addition to his apology, Favre even said Gastineau’s stats should have earned him a spot in Canton, Ohio’s Football Hall of Fame.

“I have a lot of respect for Mark. I hope one day he joins me in the Hall of Fame. He deserved it. Look at his numbers,” Favre said, adding, “He eclipsed 20 sacks twice and had 19 in another. year!”

Referring specifically to the viral clip of his tense meeting with Gastineau in 2023, Favre said it was “not the kind of moment that should be filmed and released,” and chalked up the entire meeting to Gastineau getting “his frustration off .”

“It was a private moment of frustration between two old football warriors,” Favre wrote.