Latest news with #TheFallofFavre
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Brett Favre claims Netflix is smearing him over Donald Trump support, not scandals
Brett Favre implies he's being targeted by Netflix (Image via AP) NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre is once again at the center of controversy—not for his past on-field glory, but for how he believes he's being portrayed in the new Netflix documentary Untold: The Fall of Favre. The former Green Bay Packers quarterback has implied that the documentary's critical tone is less about justice and more about politics, suggesting he's being singled out for his outspoken support of Donald Trump. Brett Favre implies he's being targeted because of his conservative politics While Favre hasn't issued a direct statement about the documentary, his actions on social media are telling. He recently reposted two messages on X (formerly Twitter) that accuse Netflix of political bias, insinuating that the streaming giant is punishing him for backing Trump. Though Favre didn't write the tweets himself, his amplification of them speaks volumes and aligns with a narrative that he is a victim of political targeting. Documentary revisits scandals that reshaped Favre's post-NFL image The Fall of Favre explores two major controversies linked to the legendary quarterback: his alleged involvement in the $77 million Mississippi welfare fraud scandal, and sexual harassment claims from his brief tenure with the New York Jets. The documentary paints a sharp contrast between the public's image of Favre as the 'everyman' quarterback and the less flattering reality of his legal and ethical troubles. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo One particularly damning detail is the $5 million that allegedly went toward constructing a volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi—Favre's alma mater and the school where his daughter played. Text messages released in 2022 show Favre asking if the funding could be kept under wraps, fueling public suspicion. Though he hasn't been criminally charged, he remains involved in ongoing civil litigation. Critics question his legacy, but Favre doubles down The documentary also revisits the sexting allegations brought by former sideline reporter Jenn Sterger, who accused Favre of sending unsolicited explicit content. The NFL fined him $50,000 for not cooperating with their investigation, though no formal action was taken on the allegations themselves. As The Fall of Favre garners attention, so does the political undertone of its reception. 'Never meet your heroes,' one interviewee quips, capturing the disillusionment felt by many. Also Read: Tom Cruise leaves Pat McAfee stunned after comparing death-defying stunts to NFL quarterbacks' pressure and precision Favre, however, sees this as more than a reputation crisis—he sees it as political persecution. As the legal drama unfolds and the public reevaluates one of the NFL's most iconic figures, the question remains: is this accountability, or a politically charged takedown? Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Brett Favre's complicated legacy faces the spotlight in new Netflix documentary
Brett Favre's story gets a long look in Netflix's 'Untold' series Brett Favre's life has never been simple. From NFL glory to public disgrace, the football star's journey is filled with both triumph and controversy. Netflix's latest entry in the Untold sports docuseries, The Fall of Favre , airing Tuesday, May 20, promises an unflinching look at the man behind the jersey. Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Rebecca Gitlitz, the one-hour documentary follows Favre's meteoric rise from his Southern Mississippi roots to becoming a Green Bay Packers legend, and eventually, a name mired in scandal. Also read: 'One of the most powerful comebacks in history': Netflix release trailer of 'Simone Biles Rising' Gitlitz, who has a reputation for tackling difficult subjects, approached the Favre story with the same sense of layered complexity she brought to her previous work on Rudy Giuliani. 'This is a story that is very much in the zeitgeist,' she said. 'People thought they knew it, but there's a lot more to unpack.' Live Events From gridiron glory to public scandal Favre's NFL career needs little introduction. A Super Bowl champion and three-time MVP, he played for the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, and Minnesota Vikings. He was revered as a 'gunslinger' quarterback and beloved in his home state of Mississippi, with fame rivaling that of Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods in their prime. But Favre's reputation has been clouded in recent years. The film dives into the sexual harassment allegations brought by Jenn Sterger, a former Jets employee. She claims Favre, who was married at the time, sent her unwanted messages and explicit images in 2008. Gitlitz stressed the importance of Sterger's voice in the documentary. 'Had she been listened to, had her narrative been told, I don't think we would be sitting here today,' she said. 'We tried to give her back her voice in a way that I think she deserved.' Also read: Netflix 2025 Arrivals: Here's the list of upcoming series and films The Mississippi welfare scandal and legal trouble No Favre story today is complete without addressing the Mississippi welfare scandal. Untold: The Fall of Favre lays out the former quarterback's alleged role in the misallocation of state funds intended for low-income families. The scandal centers on the funneling of money toward a volleyball stadium at Southern Miss, where Favre's daughter played. Though Favre denies any wrongdoing, he remains a defendant in a civil lawsuit. Gitlitz said she spent 'two, three years' on the film, tracing the scandal back to 2020, when texts and financial ties to companies like Prevacus began surfacing. 'It was a series of how do we put this all together,' she said. 'That's when we found the pain cream, then we found Jenn Sterger, then we found Oak Grove.' Gitlitz noted the legal challenges in securing sources for the film, especially due to the ongoing civil litigation. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anna Wolfe, who reported the story extensively, could not participate. Favre declines to participate in the film While Gitlitz attempted to present a balanced portrait, Brett Favre declined to appear in the film or have legal representation speak on his behalf. Also read: David Beckham says it wasn't easy to convince wife Victoria Beckham for her Netflix docuseries 'We gave him the opportunity. We asked him. We asked his lawyers,' she said. 'Of course, I would've loved to have him be a part of it, that's just the way things go.' Despite Favre's absence, the documentary strives to offer a comprehensive view of both his sports legacy and his alleged misdeeds. 'There are numerous narratives that need to be unpacked here, and I went for all sides of the story,' Gitlitz added.
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Netflix fans 'devastated' by exposé on controversial American athlete
Netflix are streaming a new documentary as part of their Untold series that covers the legendary career of Brett Favre A fresh Netflix documentary has plunged into one of the most significant American sports scandals of the 21st Century. Currently available for streaming, this hour-long exposé is a must-see for football enthusiasts keen to understand how a legendary NFL player earned a shocking reputation. The latest instalment in Netflix's Untold series, The Fall of Favre delves into the allegations against star quarterback Brett Favre in distressing detail. Favre, a three-time MVP who steered the Green Bay Packers to remarkable success, has been at the heart of two major scandals over the past decade and a half. In 2010, the NFL probed his conduct following allegations that he had sexted and left inappropriate messages for Gameday host Jenn Sterger. He was found not to have violated the NFL's personal conduct policy, but was slapped with a fine of $50,000 (£37,000) for failing to cooperate with the investigation, reports the Mirror US. He was later linked to a scandal in the 2020s where $8 million (£6 million) meant for Mississippi welfare programmes instead ended up with Favre or causes he supported. He refuted these claims and initiated a defamation lawsuit against the State Auditor of Mississippi and two media personalities over their coverage of the allegations. Now, NFL fans can gain a deeper insight into the scandals as well as other contentious incidents involving Favre in the new documentary that poses the question of how his legacy as a football legend can still persist. A Letterboxd user gave a no-holds-barred assessment of the film, saying: "I will say this is one of the few Untold documentaries that doesn't go out of its way to make the athlete or the subject matter somehow look like the hero still or allow them to give their spin on everything. "It's a refreshingly honest look at a terrible person, something I didn't know the Untold series was capable of. It still falls into the trap of surface level investigative storytelling, never delving into actual investigation. But that seems to be the way they do things." On Reddit, a user expressed conflicted feelings about the documentary, noting: "I hate how much fun this guy was to watch only for him to be a complete a**hole." An individual on X (formerly Twitter) shared a personal letdown: "Brett Favre was my single favorite athlete as a kid. I loved watching him play football. Gunslinger. Blood and Guts. "It kills me that he was a terrible person the whole time. A genuine s***head through and through." While someone else proclaimed their disillusionment after watching the Netflix documentary on Favre: "Just finished watching the documentary about Brett Favre on Netflix. All respect I had for this Icon is gone. What a scumbag he truly was! #nfl." However, not all feedback was negative, as some fans accused the documentary of being unfairly biased against Favre, with comments found on X slamming it as a "smear campaign". Another X commentator was taken aback, claiming: "I can't believe the hit piece they put out about Brett Favre on Netflix today. What a hatchet job." Viewers now have the opportunity to watch and form their opinions on the controversial documentary streaming on Netflix concerning Favre's contentious past.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jenn Sterger on the Brett Favre Sexting Scandal, 15 Years Later
A still from an interview with Jenn Sterger in Untold: The Fall of Favre Credit - Netflix The Netflix documentary Untold: The Fall of Favre, out today, goes deep on two controversies that have stained the legacy Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre: his alleged harassment of former New York Jets field reporter Jenn Sterger in 2008, and his involvement in the diversion of public welfare funds in Mississippi to Favre's alma mater, Southern Mississippi, to pay for a volleyball facility—his daughter was on the team—and to a concussion-drug company in which Favre was the top investor. (Favre has denied wrongdoing in the Mississippi case and hasn't been criminally charged; he has never publicly commented on the harassment allegations.) The documentary details how Favre allegedly sent unsolicited lewd photos to Sterger during his only season playing for the Jets, and Sterger emerges as the moral center of The Fall of Favre, which is co-produced by TIME Studios. When Favre's recklessness became public two years after the incident, in 2010, Sterger found herself embroiled in an explosive tabloid scandal that derailed her promising media career. Favre, who's been married to his wife Deanna since 1996, reportedly admitted to sending voice mails to Sterger, but denied to NFL investigators sharing photos of his privates. In Fall of Favre, however, Sterger makes a compelling case that Favre, who did not participate in the documentary, sent inappropriate messages. When asked by TIME if she'd like to share a message for Favre, more than 15 years later, Sterger demurs. 'I don't think I'm there yet,' she says. 'I'm still processing it all.' She pauses for a moment. 'The hardest thing to do is to forgive someone who hasn't necessarily asked for it and doesn't care that they've harmed you,' says Sterger. 'I don't think he stays up at night thinking about me. I don't think he stays up at night thinking about the people in Mississippi.' (A representative for Favre did not respond to TIME's request for comment.) Sterger serves another reminder of how the media, and public, so often mistreated women who became the butt of late-night monologue jokes, and of toxic backlash, particularly in the pre-#MeToo era. Recent cultural touchstones—essays, podcasts, movies, documentaries—have helped reshape the narratives around 'controversial' figures such as Monica Lewinsky, who was portrayed in a negative light even though the President abused his power in their relationship; Janet Jackson, whose career suffered far worse than Justin Timberlake's after the infamous 'wardrobe malfunction' at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show; and Britney Spears, whose conservatorship was finally terminated in 2021 (#freebritney). The Fall of Favre should add Sterger's name to this list of dehumanized figures worth a serious second look. The Favre story was a bombshell, as it involved a revered NFL quarterback allegedly doing very questionable things during the waning years of his standout career. Sterger's name was unwittingly plastered across every TV news and sports show around the country. She did not initiate any kind of relationship with Favre, who made his name with the Green Bay Packers from 1992 through 2007. 'I never met him,' Sterger tells TIME. 'Put that in all capital letters.' She did not consent to the public revelation of Favre's messages in Deadspin, whose then-editor later admitted that Sterger had told him about them off the record. She lost job opportunities and received blame for tearing down a hero. Sterger says in the documentary that she 'played the game.' She took advantage of a market that rewarded attractive young women who appealed to a largely male sports audience. She posed in Playboy and Maxim and on occasion wore tight or revealing clothing while doing her work. But she in no way compelled Favre to act badly. During one cringeworthy clip in the documentary, a New York City radio host essentially victim-blames the recipient of alleged workplace sexual harassment. 'Why are we shocked that a football player wanted to sleep with you?' Craig Carton asked Sterger in 2011. 'You were selling sex. He bought it.' 'My life was ruined,' says Sterger in The Fall of Favre. 'And he went to the Hall of Fame.' Before Sterger and Favre both began working with the Jets in 2008, Sterger had developed her own online following, in the pre-Twitter, -Instagram and -TikTok days. A high school band geek from Tampa, she was one of the original influencers, long before that term resonated with anyone. Her life changed overnight when, during a nationally televised Florida State-Miami football game in the fall of 2005, Sterger appeared on screens while cheering for Florida State—where she was a student—in the stands. Sterger was wearing a cowboy hat and bikini top: she says that while bartending that day, someone had spilled beer on her shirt. She happened to be wearing the bathing suit underneath and took advantage of it on a humid night. ABC play-by-play man Brent Musburger took notice. 'Fifteen hundred red-blooded Americans,' said Musburger on the broadcast, 'just decided to apply to Florida State.' Sterger went viral, 2005-style. Her clout on message boards, MySpace, and an upstart site called Facebook exploded. Sports Illustrated gave her an online show, one of the first in sports media. In 2008, the Jets hired her as an in-game host: she had ambitions to become the next Erin Andrews or Suzy Kolber. Soon after the world found out about Favre's alleged messages on her phone, however, opportunities began to dry up. 'I was labeled a problem,' Sterger says. Her talk show on Versus, the sports channel that was rebranded NBC Sports Network in 2012, was canceled. She decided to cooperate with the NFL's investigation into the incident. Favre didn't, and the NFL fined him $50,000. He was making more than $11.5 million with the Minnesota Vikings that season. "He's very valuable to them, even in retirement,' says Sterger. 'And that's something I said to [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell when I was going through the investigation. I got to meet with him. I said, 'You know, no matter what I show you, you're not going to do anything.' He got defensive. 'Are you saying I can't do anything?' I'm like, 'I'm not saying you can't. I'm saying you won't. There's a difference.' I apologized to him. I'm like, 'I'm really sorry that I'm not as stupid as you were anticipating.'" (The NFL declined to comment.) Sterger says she has turned down many documentary proposals before Fall of Favre director Rebecca Gitlitz–a two-time Emmy winner who directed Under Pressure, a 2023 Netflix docuseries on the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team—won her trust and delivered on her promise to treat her fairly. 'I was very surprised how much of my backstory was included in there,' says Sterger. 'I wasn't just a talking head. I didn't want to come off as a victim. Vulnerable, yes, but not a victim. The stuff Brett did to me, while awful, wasn't as bad as other people can experience. What needs to get talked about more is this uneven power dynamic.' Sterger turned to stand-up comedy about a decade ago and plans on talking more openly about this highly publicized chapter in her life on stage. She has no resentment about Musburger's 2005 comments that altered the trajectory of her life, or anything else that unfolded. 'If you take away any of those experiences, I don't turn out the way that I am,' says Sterger. Therapy has helped her come out of the other side of intense public scrutiny and humiliation. She often gives talks to aspiring sports reporters about navigating potential minefields of the business. 'I like who I've become,' says Sterger. 'I like that the things that have happened to me can help other people. Because that's what it's about.' Write to Sean Gregory at
Time Magazine
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
Jenn Sterger on the Brett Favre Sexting Scandal, 15 Years Later
The Netflix documentary Untold: The Fall of Favre, out today, goes deep on two controversies that have stained the legacy Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre: his alleged harassment of former New York Jets field reporter Jenn Sterger in 2008, and his involvement in the diversion of public welfare funds in Mississippi to Favre's alma mater, Southern Mississippi, to pay for a volleyball facility—his daughter was on the team—and to a concussion-drug company in which Favre was the top investor. (Favre has denied wrongdoing in the Mississippi case and hasn't been criminally charged; he has never publicly commented on the harassment allegations.) The documentary details how Favre allegedly sent unsolicited lewd photos to Sterger during his only season playing for the Jets, and Sterger emerges as the moral center of The Fall of Favre, which is co-produced by TIME Studios. When Favre's recklessness became public two years after the incident, in 2010, Sterger found herself embroiled in an explosive tabloid scandal that derailed her promising media career. Favre, who's been married to his wife Deanna since 1996, reportedly admitted to sending voice mails to Sterger, but denied to NFL investigators sharing photos of his privates. In Fall of Favre, however, Sterger makes a compelling case that Favre, who did not participate in the documentary, sent inappropriate messages. When asked by TIME if she'd like to share a message for Favre, more than 15 years later, Sterger demurs. 'I don't think I'm there yet,' she says. 'I'm still processing it all.' She pauses for a moment. 'The hardest thing to do is to forgive someone who hasn't necessarily asked for it and doesn't care that they've harmed you,' says Sterger. 'I don't think he stays up at night thinking about me. I don't think he stays up at night thinking about the people in Mississippi.' (A representative for Favre did not respond to TIME's request for comment.) Sterger serves another reminder of how the media, and public, so often mistreated women who became the butt of late-night monologue jokes, and of toxic backlash, particularly in the pre- #MeToo era. Recent cultural touchstones—essays, podcasts, movies, documentaries—have helped reshape the narratives around 'controversial' figures such as Monica Lewinsky, who was portrayed in a negative light even though the President abused his power in their relationship; Janet Jackson, whose career suffered far worse than Justin Timberlake's after the infamous 'wardrobe malfunction' at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show; and Britney Spears, whose conservatorship was finally terminated in 2021 (#freebritney). The Fall of Favre should add Sterger's name to this list of dehumanized figures worth a serious second look. The Favre story was a bombshell, as it involved a revered NFL quarterback allegedly doing very questionable things during the waning years of his standout career. Sterger's name was unwittingly plastered across every TV news and sports show around the country. She did not initiate any kind of relationship with Favre, who made his name with the Green Bay Packers from 1992 through 2007. 'I never met him,' Sterger tells TIME. 'Put that in all capital letters.' She did not consent to the public revelation of Favre's messages in Deadspin, whose then-editor later admitted that Sterger had told him about them off the record. She lost job opportunities and received blame for tearing down a hero. Sterger says in the documentary that she 'played the game.' She took advantage of a market that rewarded attractive young women who appealed to a largely male sports audience. She posed in Playboy and Maxim and on occasion wore tight or revealing clothing while doing her work. But she in no way compelled Favre to act badly. During one cringeworthy clip in the documentary, a New York City radio host essentially victim-blames the recipient of alleged workplace sexual harassment. 'Why are we shocked that a football player wanted to sleep with you?' Craig Carton asked Sterger in 2011. 'You were selling sex. He bought it.' 'My life was ruined,' says Sterger in The Fall of Favre. 'And he went to the Hall of Fame.' Before Sterger and Favre both began working with the Jets in 2008, Sterger had developed her own online following, in the pre-Twitter, -Instagram and -TikTok days. A high school band geek from Tampa, she was one of the original influencers, long before that term resonated with anyone. Her life changed overnight when, during a nationally televised Florida State-Miami football game in the fall of 2005, Sterger appeared on screens while cheering for Florida State—where she was a student—in the stands. Sterger was wearing a cowboy hat and bikini top: she says that while bartending that day, someone had spilled beer on her shirt. She happened to be wearing the bathing suit underneath and took advantage of it on a humid night. ABC play-by-play man Brent Musburger took notice. 'Fifteen hundred red-blooded Americans,' said Musburger on the broadcast, 'just decided to apply to Florida State.' Sterger went viral, 2005-style. Her clout on message boards, MySpace, and an upstart site called Facebook exploded. Sports Illustrated gave her an online show, one of the first in sports media. In 2008, the Jets hired her as an in-game host: she had ambitions to become the next Erin Andrews or Suzy Kolber. Soon after the world found out about Favre's alleged messages on her phone, however, opportunities began to dry up. 'I was labeled a problem,' Sterger says. Her talk show on Versus, the sports channel that was rebranded NBC Sports Network in 2012, was canceled. She decided to cooperate with the NFL's investigation into the incident. Favre didn't, and the NFL fined him $50,000. He was making more than $11.5 million with the Minnesota Vikings that season. "He's very valuable to them, even in retirement,' says Sterger. 'And that's something I said to [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell when I was going through the investigation. I got to meet with him. I said, 'You know, no matter what I show you, you're not going to do anything.' He got defensive. 'Are you saying I can't do anything?' I'm like, 'I'm not saying you can't. I'm saying you won't. There's a difference.' I apologized to him. I'm like, 'I'm really sorry that I'm not as stupid as you were anticipating.'" (The NFL declined to comment.) Sterger says she has turned down many documentary proposals before Fall of Favre director Rebecca Gitlitz–a two-time Emmy winner who directed Under Pressure, a 2023 Netflix docuseries on the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team—won her trust and delivered on her promise to treat her fairly. 'I was very surprised how much of my backstory was included in there,' says Sterger. 'I wasn't just a talking head. I didn't want to come off as a victim. Vulnerable, yes, but not a victim. The stuff Brett did to me, while awful, wasn't as bad as other people can experience. What needs to get talked about more is this uneven power dynamic.' Sterger turned to stand-up comedy about a decade ago and plans on talking more openly about this highly publicized chapter in her life on stage. She has no resentment about Musburger's 2005 comments that altered the trajectory of her life, or anything else that unfolded. 'If you take away any of those experiences, I don't turn out the way that I am,' says Sterger. Therapy has helped her come out of the other side of intense public scrutiny and humiliation. She often gives talks to aspiring sports reporters about navigating potential minefields of the business. 'I like who I've become,' says Sterger. 'I like that the things that have happened to me can help other people. Because that's what it's about.'
