Favre regrets the infamous firing of Strahan and the dispute with Gastineau

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre (4) and Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Holmgren leave the field together after the Detroit Lions' victory on October 15, 1995 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Brett Favre posted a response on Twitter Tuesday night to an infamous 2002 play in which he apparently allowed Michael Strahan to score a record-setting sack.

The play gave Strahan 22.5 sacks for the season, a new single-season mark and just ahead of New York Jets pass rusher Mark Gastineau, who recorded 22 sacks in 1984. Long considered a semi-prepared “dive” by Favre that perhaps gave Strahan Although it was a spurious recording, that moment gained an ESPN 30-for-30 on Tuesday with the release of footage from 2023 -Documentary titled “New York Sack Exchange” takes on new meaning. in which Gastineau confronted Favre about the resentment he still feels over the record loss.

Strahan himself has said he wished that moment had never happened and that it would have become an unwanted data point related to his Hall of Fame career.

Favre had never publicly expressed that his game was a deliberate attempt to give Strahan the record, but he expressed regret, saying in a series of social media posts Tuesday night that he “didn’t think it through” at the time. have.

“When Michael Strahan fired me in 2002 at the end of a game we were finishing, I didn’t mean to hurt Mark Gastineau in any way,” Favre wrote in a thread on Twitter. “I was trying to finish a game and squeeze every last bit of fun out of a hard-fought game.”

“I got out of a run because I thought it was going to be wide open, saw Strahan standing there and ducked. The game was over. I didn’t have to do anything spectacular. It probably wasn’t Michael’s best sack or tackle.” Loss.

“In a different game or situation, I would have made greater efforts to avoid the sack or TFL. But at no point did I think about hurting Gastineau. Maybe it occurred to me to help Strahan. I didn’t think about it.” That wasn’t my strong point at the time. I just wanted to have fun and compete. Looking back, I understand that we played a brutal game when there was no generational wealth for the boys.

The Packers were well on their way to a 34-25 victory over the Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and the first down snap came at the Green Bay 42-yard line with 2:46 to play. The Packers finished 12-4 with the win and New York finished 7-9 on the year.

Favre expressed that if Gastineau was still considered a “sack king,” it would strengthen his case for the Hall of Fame and increase his demand as a public speaker.

However, Gastineau has never been a Hall of Fame semifinalist despite four All-Pro seasons and five Pro Bowls. His boisterous personality on and off the field may have clashed with the sensibilities of old-school football, which could also be a possible explanation for his lack of recognition after his playing career. Gastineau, whose career ended in 1988, had long since retired from Modern Era consideration but was able to have his case taken up by the senior committee.

Gastineau’s sack total would have been surpassed by TJ Watt’s 22.5 sacks in 2021 (who currently shares the all-time lead with Strahan), and Detroit’s Al Baker unofficially recorded 23 sacks in 1978, but sacks were not recorded until 1982, two years. to an official NFL statistic before Gastineau’s feat.

Baker isn’t in the Hall of Fame either. Of the 18 players in NFL history to officially or unofficially record 20 sacks in a season, only eight are in the Hall of Fame, although three others (Aaron Donald, JJ Watt, TJ Watt) have good reasons to do so at some point to get there. and another (Justin Houston) was active this season. Another, Jared Allen, was a Hall of Fame finalist.

Favre reiterated that there was no bad intention on his part when he apparently allowed the sending off.

“Mark was a great player. I understand that he is a great guy and a fun teammate, a guy who played with the kind of joy and passion that I wanted to emulate. I understand his frustration, but I am not his enemy. A while.” Back he saw me at a card show and let out his frustration. 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.

“I have a lot of respect for Mark. I hope he joins me in the Hall of Fame one day. He deserves it. Look at his numbers. He topped 20 sacks twice and had 19 another year!”

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

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