The Brett Favre sexual harassment drama is taking on a life of its own in the days and hours leading up to the big Vikings-Jets game on Monday night. When Deadspin released the original report that alleged Favre contacted Jenn Sterger, a Jets employee, in inappropriate ways on several different occasions, there were more skeptics than believers. When Deadspin brought the actual voicemails and photos into the fold, more people seemed to jump on board. Now that another former massage therapist who worked for the Jets has made very similar accusations, it looks like Favre could have a major problem.
Michael Strahan was asked about the issue on the Dan Patrick Show on Monday and he downplayed it for the most part. His reaction was understandable, as fellow players usually don’t like to bash one another especially when there’s no proof. The segment can be heard here, but what really struck me as unreasonable was Strahan’s idea that the rumors have been planted by the Jets as a means of distracting the Vikings leading up to the big game.
There’s no way that’s true. The timing may not be a complete coincidence, but that has nothing to do with the Jets organization. First of all, Deadspin released the original report weeks ago so the buzz has been out there. The only thing that may be strategic timing is Deadspin releasing the new material this week assuming it would create even more buzz with such a big game looming. Secondly, if this turns out to be true the Jets wouldn’t exactly come out looking like choir boys. Whether they were made aware of it at the time or not, that type of behavior reflects poorly on an organization.
However, I thought Strahan raised a good point when he said it would be a shame for Favre’s consecutive games played streak to be broken because of a suspension. I certainly don’t like Favre and I think everyone should be held accountable for what they do, but the streak is a testament to his toughness and commitment to the game more than anything else. If something like that were canned because of an issue that’s unrelated to football, it would be a tough pill to swallow.
