Brett Favre Clears Air on 'Small Dustup' with Mark Gastineau Ahead of ESPN Doc

An interaction between former NFL players Brett Favre and Mark Gastineau made headlines Wednesday, and the Hall of Fame quarterback took to social media to provide his perspective on what he called a "small dustup."

As ESPN's Rich Cimini explained, Gastineau "has carried a grudge against Brett Favre for two decades" because he—along with many others—believes the quarterback took a dive in the final game of the 2001 campaign to give Michael Strahan the all-time record of sacks in a single season with 22.5.

Gastineau, who previously held the record with 22, confronted Favre about the play at a memorabilia show last year. Footage of the scene is included in ESPN's documentary The New York Sack Exchange, which airs Friday.

The former sack king told Favre, "You really hurt me" and "I'm going to get my sack back. I'm going to get my sack back."

The video circulated Wednesday, which prompted Favre to "clear the air" with his posts.

He said he was "in no way trying to hurt Mark Gastineau" and "would have made a bigger effort to avoid the sack" if the game wasn't already decided.

"But at no point was I thinking about hurting Gastineau," he wrote. "Maybe it crossed my mind to help Strahan. I didn't think it through. That wasn't my forte at the time."

Favre also advocated for Gastineau to make the Hall of Fame.

While Strahan set the record with the controversial sack, he is no longer the sole holder of the mark. Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt tied the record with 22.5 sacks during the 2021 campaign.