Brett Favre responds to Mark Gastineau’s ‘dive’ anger after wild confrontation goes viral

Brett Favre took the high road after his dust-up with former Jets great Mark Gastineau was featured in a trailer for the upcoming ESPN 30 for 30 documentary “New York Sack Exchange.”

The clip, posted Tuesday, showed Gastineau, who blames the former Packers great for not being in the Hall of Fame, confronting Favre in 2023 and claiming the QB took “a dive” that allowed Giants star Michael Strahan to break the sack record in 2002, which Gastineau had once held.

Favre responded in a string of posts on X on Tuesday night that sympathized with Gastineau’s frustration and advocated that the ex-Jets sack master should be enshrined in Canton, Ohio.

In the caught-on-camera confrontation filmed at the Chicago Sports Spectacular, Gastineau told Favre, “You hurt me,” over the sack that allowed Strahan to surpass Gastineau’s record of 22 sacks he set in 1984.

“In a different game or situation, I would have made a bigger effort to avoid the sack or [tackle for loss]. But at no point was I thinking about hurting Gastineau,” Favre wrote. “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. In retrospect, I understand how Gastineau feels. We played a brutal game. Gastineau played during an era where guys didn’t make generational wealth.”

In another post, Favre said he understood where Gastineau’s frustration came from, explaining that he now gets how being the sack king would have given Gastineau more financial value at card shows, speaking engagements and his case to be in the 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. He eclipsed 20 sacks twice and had 19 in another year!” Favre later wrote on X, making the case for Gastineau. “Mark definitely left an indelible mark on the game. I hope this controversy brings attention to just how great Mark Gastineau was. He belongs in Canton.”

Michael Strahan of the NY Giants sacking Brett Favre during a game, getting congratulatory kiss from Mark Gastineau