Brett Favre Tries to 'Clear the Air' After Mark Gastineau Angrily Confronts Him About 2002 Game

• Brett Favre posted a lengthy statement in an attempt to "clear the air" on his feud with former New York Jets player Mark Gastineau

• Gastineau blamed Favre for taking a "dive" in order for his friend Michael Strahan to surpass Gastineau's record of most sacks — and believes he was left out of the Hall of Fame because of it

• Favre explained his side and advocated for Gastineau to "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 spot in the Hall of Fame.

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 on Tuesday, Dec. 10 after a viral clip from ESPN's upcoming 30 for 30 documentary, The New York Sack Exchange, showed a tense interaction between the two.

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

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 down for [Strahan]."

Related: Brett Favre Once Said He May Have Suffered 'Thousands' of Concussions Over His 20-Year NFL Career

Favre posted his Dec. 10 statement 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 footage released showing a small dustup between myself and Mark Gastineau, the former New York Jet," Favre began. "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."

Favre — who announced in September that he's battling Parkinson's disease — said he was "trying to close out a game and squeeze the last bit of fun out of a hard-fought game" during the 2002 matchup. "I booted out of a run thinking it would be wide open, saw Strahan standing there and ducked down."

The former Packers star continued, "In a different game or situation, I would have made a bigger effort to avoid the sack or TFL," but in the 2002 game in question, "at no point was I thinking about hurting Gastineau."

Favre went on to admit, "I understand how Gastineau feels," and sympathizes with the former Jets star because Gastineau played "during an era where guys didn't make generational wealth."

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"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, confessing that he "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," Favre added.

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Beyond his apology, Favre even said that Gastineau's stats should have landed him a spot in Canton, Ohio's Football Hall of Fame.

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

Specifically referring to the viral clip of his tense 2023 meeting with Gastineau, Favre said it was "not the kind of moment that should be filmed and released," chalking up the whole encounter to Gastineau getting "his frustrating off his chest."

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

Read the original article on People