Mark Gastineau confronts Brett Favre over Michael Strahan sack record: 'You fell down for him'

Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre took to X to "clear the air" about a recently released video clip that showed what Favre described as "a small dustup" between him and former New York Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau.

The clip was released Tuesday by ESPN ahead of the Friday premiere of its "30 for 30" documentary "The New York Sack Exchange" on the famed Jets defensive line from the early 1980s that included Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam.

The footage, taken at a 2023 memorabilia event in Chicago where Favre was signing autographs, shows Gastineau accusing him of deliberately taking a sack in 2001 that allowed New York Giants star Michael Strahan to break Gastineau's longstanding single-season sack record.

"I understand his frustration, but I’m not his enemy," Favre wrote of Gastineau. "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."

At the convention, Gastineau was miked and filmed by a camera crew for the documentary. Favre seemed unaware of what was about to happen as their conversation started.

Gastineau: “Finally met. ...”

Favre: “I thought we met a long time ago. At least I saw you.”

Gastineau: “Yeah, right ... when you fell down for him. I'm gonna get my sack back. I'm gonna get my sack back, dude."

Read more: Favre Says Strahan's Sack Was Legitimate

Favre: "You’d probably hurt me.”

Gastineau: "Well, I don't care. You hurt me. You hurt me. You hear me?"

Favre: "Yeah, I hear you.”

Gastineau: "You really hurt me. You hurt me, Brett."

At that point, one of Favre's handlers came and led him back to the signing table. Favre appeared stunned but stayed calm during the engagement.

Gastineau didn't know Favre was going to be at the event until he arrived, according to ESPN. Lyons also was there and tried to talk Gastineau out of confronting Favre and that Gastineau's wife, Jo Ann, later returned to Favre's table and apologized for her husband, ESPN wrote.

"I wanted to let him know it was a trash sack," Gastineau told ESPN in a phone interview. "I've been wanting to do that for a long time — many, many years."

He also suggested that he still wants to confront Strahan about the matter.

The Times was unable to reach Gastineau for comment. ESPN declined to comment for this article.

Gastineau, a colon cancer survivor, said in a 2017 interview that he had been diagnosed with dementia, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Favre revealed his own Parkinson's diagnosis this year.

Read more: Brett Favre, testifying at welfare fraud hearing, reveals he has Parkinson's

Playing all 10 of his NFL seasons with the Jets from 1979 to 1988, Gastineau led the league in sacks twice. He had 19 in 1983 and 22 in 1984, the latter number standing as the NFL record for more than a decade.

In the penultimate game of the 2001 season, Strahan recorded 3½ sacks against the Philadelphia Eagles to bring his total to 21½. The Giants' final game was against Favre and Green Bay on Jan. 6, 2002. The Packers had the ball and a 34-24 lead with less than three minutes remaining when Favre dropped back to pass from his own 42.

Strahan got into the backfield and Favre went down — seemingly without much of a fight — to give the Giants defensive end 22½ sacks and the record. Twenty seasons later, T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers tied Strahan's record.

"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 wrote on X. "I was trying to close out a game and squeeze the last bit of fun out of a hard-fought game.

"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. 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."

Read more: Michael Strahan says he wasn't protesting during national anthem. 'I love the military'

Strahan and Favre were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Gastineau was never even a semifinalist.

"In retrospect, I understand how Gastineau feels," Favre wrote. "We played a brutal game. Gastineau played during an era where guys didn’t make generational wealth. 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.

"I 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. There was no malice on my part."

Favre added: "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. He eclipsed 20 sacks twice and had 19 in another year! ... I hope this controversy brings attention to just how great Mark Gastineau was. He belongs in Canton."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.