In the lead-up to this week's release of ESPN's "30 for 30" film on the "New York Sack Exchange," a video of former Jets defensive end Mark Gastineau telling Brett Favre the Hall of Fame quarterback "hurt" him has gone viral.
The video captures Gastineau getting in Favre's face backstage at an autograph signing in Chicago in 2023, accusing Favre of essentially taking a dive on Michael Strahan's record-breaking sack in the final game of the 2001 season and costing Gastineau a significant amount of money.
Gastineau had held the single-season sack record of 22 from 1984 until Strahan's sack of Favre on Jan. 6, 2002, gave the New York Giants defensive end 22.5.
Had Strahan not gotten that sack, Gastineau would have held the record for another 21 seasons — T.J. Watt tied Strahan's mark with 22.5 sacks in 2022.
"You fell down for him," Gastineau told Favre of the Strahan sack. "I’m gonna get my sack back. I’m gonna get my sack back, dude."
The question is: Did losing the record really cost Gastineau that much money on the autograph circuit?
"I don't believe he is a 'wow' name at all," said autograph agent Ryan Fiterman, who exclusively represents Earl Campbell, Mike Tyson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, among others. "I don't think it would have affected his marketability too much."
Gastineau's signature can be had for $39 on a mini helmet and $69 on a full-sized helmet, jersey or football. Those prices are cheap by today's standards. He charges $20 per inscription, with his argument being he can no longer write "single-season sacks leader."
"Not being the all-time single-season sack leader has cost him some money for sure," said Bobby Mintz of Tri-Star, whose exclusive deals include Ken Griffey Jr., Jeff Bagwell and Roger Clemens, among others. "How much? It's hard to quantify."
Ben Litvin, a sports marketing agent who specializes in sports autographs, says Gastineau's argument is mostly delusional.
"I have represented Eric Dickerson for 25 years, and the percentage of autographs where he signs that he's the single-season rushing leader or '2,105 yards' is probably less than 5%," Litvin said. "Not getting into the Hall of Fame cost (Gastineau) more, and that half of a sack didn't do it."
Gastineau also would have been a more valuable autograph if the 1985 and 1986 Jets teams would have gone further in the playoffs.
Full-sized "Sack Exchange" helmets — signed by Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam — can sell for up to $600.
Gastineau's most valuable card is his 1986 Topps card in a PSA 10. It sold for a high of $399 on eBay in 2014.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.