Brett Favre believes Mark Gastineau exchange ‘a setup’ by ESPN and NFL Films

Brett Favre believes being confronted by Mark Gastineau over Michael Strahan’s sack record was a setup by ESPN and NFL Films.

Last December, ESPN released the trailer for its 30 for 30, titled The New York Sack Exchange, featuring Gastineau’s grudge against Favre over deliberately taking a sack to give Strahan the NFL’s single-season record. A record that was previously held by Gastineau.

The trailer shared an uncomfortable scene where Gastineau confronted Favre at a memorabilia show in Chicago. In the clip, an unsuspecting Favre went to shake Gastineau’s hand with a smile, only to find out the former defensive end had no desire to have a pleasant exchange. On a recent episode of The Michele Tafoya Podcast, Favre spoke about the Gastineau incident, believing it didn’t happen organically.

“There are athletes from all sports; generally, it’s retired guys,” Favre said of the memorabilia show. “So, you encounter a lot of different guys, but I had no clue, and I really think that was a setup by ESPN and/or NFL Films. Because there was a camera hiding above this divider. Now, I think Mark has got some serious concussion issues, but I’m not a doctor. I had never met him before…and he actually came right to the table – he’s still a big guy – I was just signing…I looked up and I said, ‘Hey, Mark!’ and right away, I knew, he wasn’t all there. Honestly, I was thinking, the last thing I want to have to do is fight this guy right here.”

Favre said his instinct was “I need to be first,” whether that meant taking a swing at Gastineau or running from the exchange.

22 years after losing the NFL single-season sack record, Mark Gastineau confronted Brett Favre for ‘taking a dive’ on the record-breaking play.

Catch the latest @30for30, ‘The New York Sack Exchange,’ on ESPN and ESPN+ starting Dec. 13. pic.twitter.com/Oz5KRwVcy7

— ESPN (@espn) December 10, 2024

“To have to be thinking that is crazy,” Favre told Tafoya. “That was a weird moment.”

Gastineau said he had no idea Favre would be at this particular memorabilia show. His former teammate Marty Lyons, who witnessed the exchange, stated he tried to convince Gastineau not to approach Favre. And NFL Films’ Ken Rodgers, who directed the 30 for 30, has said the incident was unexpected.

So maybe this wasn’t a setup as Favre alleges. But it doesn’t seem like too much of a conspiracy to believe someone involved with the 30 for 30 may have at least been prepared for the potential confrontation, especially once they found out Favre was in attendance. It certainly helped in promoting the documentary.