Brett Favre understands Mark Gastineau’s anger

Brett Favre hit the road after his altercation with former Jets star Mark Gastineau was featured in a trailer for the upcoming ESPN 30 for 30 documentary “New York Sack Exchange.”

The clip released 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 “jump” that made it Giants star Michael Strahan broke the sack record in 2002 that Gastineau once held.

Favre responded in a series of posts on Tuesday evening

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

“In a different game or situation, I would have made greater efforts to avoid the sack or (tackle for loss). But at no time did I think about hurting Gastineau,” Favre wrote. “Maybe it occurred to me to help Strahan. I didn’t think it through. That wasn’t my strength back then. I just wanted to have fun and compete. Looking back, I understand how Gastineau feels. We played a brutal game. Gastineau was set in a time when men did not achieve generational wealth.”

In another post, Favre said he understood where Gastineau’s frustration came from and explained that he now understands that the Sack King role would have given Gastineau more financial value in card shows, speeches and his arguments for Hall of Fame induction.

“I have a lot of respect for Mark. I hope he gets inducted into the Hall of Fame one day. He deserves it. Look at his numbers. He topped 20 sacks twice and had 19 another year!” Favre later wrote about X and made the case for Gastineau. “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.”

As for the footage that made it into the upcoming documentary, Favre called the confrontation “not the kind of moment that should be filmed and released,” adding that it was a “private moment of frustration.”

“From what I understand, he’s a great guy and a fun teammate, a guy who played with the kind of joy and passion that I tried to emulate. I understand his frustration, but I am not his enemy,” Favre said.

“The 30 for 30” will premiere Friday at 8 p.m. ET.