Gastineau confronts Favre in documentary for his ‘dive’ on Strahan’s record sack

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 intentionally going down in a record-breaking sack.

The tense exchange is shown in ESPN 30 for 30 documentary “The New York Sack Exchange,” which premieres Friday. It depicts 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 Giants and the Packers. It was a controversial play that many have accused Favre of intentionally taking the sack so Strahan could set the single-season record with 22 1/2.

The documentary shows Gastineau approaching Favre during a show in Chicago. The two shake hands and Favre says he thinks they’ve met before. Gastineau then tells the former quarterback, “Yeah, right, when you fell for him. I’m gonna get my sack back. I’m gonna get my sack back, dude.”

Favre tries to make light of the situation, joking that Gastineau “would probably hurt me.”

The former sack king shot back: “Well, I don’t care. You hurt me. You hurt me! Do you hear me? You really hurt me. You really hurt me, Brett.”

The situation was quickly defused when Favre was escorted from the area.

In an interview shown in the documentary, Gastineau repeats what he personally told Favre.

“Anyone will tell you that Brett Favre took a dive,” he said.

After the clip went viral on social media on Tuesday, Favre posted a thread on X “to clear the air on the released footage showing a little dustup” between him and Gastineau.

“I started out on a run and thought it was going to be wide open, then Strahan was standing there and ducked,” Favre said. “The game was over. There was no reason for me to do anything spectacular. It probably wasn’t Michael’s best sack or tackle for loss.”

Favre went down, Strahan got fired and set the NFL record, which was later tied by Pittsburgh’s TJ Watt in 2021.

“In another game or situation, I would have made a bigger effort to avoid the sack or the TFL,” Favre said of the regular-season finale won 34-25 by Green Bay. “But at no point did I think about hurting Gastineau. Maybe it crossed my mind to help Strahan. I didn’t think about it. It wasn’t my strong suit at the time.”

Gastineau, who was one of the league’s early guy kings and biggest personalities, is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“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 demand as a public speaker,” Favre wrote. “I had no way of knowing at the time. I now realize the potential financial implications because football is far more business oriented than when Mark or I played.

“There was no malice on my part.”

Favre added that he understands Gastineau’s frustration, but said, “I’m not his enemy.” He regrets 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 one day joins him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“Mark absolutely left an indelible mark on the game,” Favre wrote. “I hope this controversy brings attention to how great Mark Gastineau was. He belongs in Canton. Merry Christmas everyone.”

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