ESPN is facing a lawsuit from Mark Gastineau and backlash from Brett Favre, all stemming from what was a rather dull 30 for 30 on The New York Sack Exchange.
The most interesting part of the documentary was arguably the trailer, which featured a heated exchange between Gastineau and Favre. And according to TMZ, Gastineau is suing ESPN, believing the viral teaser video did irreparable harm to his reputation as he now seeks $25 million in damages.
Last December, ESPN released a clip from The New York Sack Exchange, which depicted 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.
Per the lawsuit, Gastineau alleges ESPN “intentionally and maliciously did not publish” his handshake with Favre from the encounter. Without the handshake, Gastineau believes the encounter appeared more aggressive than it actually was, leading to him being attacked on social media.
Earlier this year, Favre alleged the entire scene was a setup, believing he was ambushed by Gastineau, ESPN, and NFL Films because they were ready with cameras. Gastineau, however, claims he never gave ESPN permission to record the confrontation.
TMZ reached out to ESPN for comment, but did not hear back as of Wednesday afternoon.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com