The year was 2010. It was a weird time for the internet. People were still figuring out what "viral" actually meant, and Twitter was just a baby. Then, a massive bomb dropped on a site called Deadspin. It wasn't about a game-winning drive or a Super Bowl ring. It was about a brett favre cock pic.
Yeah. That happened.
Honestly, if you weren't following sports back then, it’s hard to describe how huge this was. Brett Favre wasn't just a quarterback; he was "The Gunslinger." He was the ultimate "tough guy" of the NFL, a legend who seemingly couldn't be touched. But suddenly, the conversation shifted from his ironman streak to unsolicited photos sent to a woman named Jenn Sterger.
The Phone Call That Started It All
It didn't start with a photo. It started with a voice.
In 2008, Favre was playing his one and only season for the New York Jets. Sterger was working as a game-day host for the team. According to her, she never even met the guy in person. Not once. But apparently, that didn't stop him from getting her number.
The story goes that Favre allegedly had a Jets staffer track down her contact info. Then came the voicemails. They were awkward. They were persistent. He was basically asking her to come over to his hotel room, repeatedly.
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"I'm going to be in the hotel tonight... love to have you over," one of the recordings allegedly said.
Sterger ignored them. She was trying to build a career in a very male-dominated industry. Getting involved with the team's star quarterback—who happened to be married—was the last thing she wanted. But then, the messages escalated.
Why the Brett Favre Cock Pic Changed Everything
When Deadspin editor A.J. Daulerio published the report in October 2010, it included more than just descriptions of voicemails. It included blurred versions of explicit photos.
The brett favre cock pic became a national punchline, but for Sterger, it was a nightmare. She hadn't actually leaked the photos to Deadspin herself. She had shown them to a few people, and eventually, the information moved through the grapevine until it landed on a journalist's desk. Daulerio later admitted he published the story without her consent.
Think about that for a second.
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You're a young woman trying to make it as a reporter. A future Hall of Famer sends you unwanted pictures of his junk. Then, a website publishes the story against your will, and suddenly, you are the one getting blamed.
The NFL launched an investigation. It dragged on for months. Commissioner Roger Goodell eventually met with both of them.
The result?
Favre was fined $50,000. Not for the photos. Not for harassment. He was fined for a "failure to cooperate" with the investigation. To a guy making $11 million a year, fifty grand is basically the change you find in your couch cushions.
The Fallout Nobody Talks About
Most people remember the jokes. They remember the Saturday Night Live skits. But the actual impact on the people involved was pretty dark.
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- Jenn Sterger's Career: She basically got blackballed. The Jets didn't renew her contract. Other networks saw her as "drama." She recently opened up in a 2025 Netflix documentary, Untold: The Fall of Favre, saying she felt like she was never treated like a real person—just a "picture" or a punchline.
- Favre's Legacy: For a long time, he just kept rolling. He went to the Hall of Fame. He kept his endorsements. It wasn't until much later, when he got tangled up in the Mississippi welfare fund scandal, that the public's perception of him truly soured.
- Sports Media Ethics: This incident was a turning point. It forced people to look at how we treat women in sports. It also raised questions about "checkbook journalism," as Deadspin reportedly paid a third party for the materials they published.
What We Can Learn From the Mess
Looking back, the whole brett favre cock pic situation was a massive failure of accountability. The NFL's investigation was widely criticized as a "slap on the wrist." Forensic analysts at the time said they couldn't "conclusively prove" Favre sent the photos, even though he admitted to the voicemails.
It’s a reminder that power dynamics in the workplace are real. If you're ever in a situation where you're receiving unwanted, explicit content:
- Document everything. Don't delete the messages, even if they make you skin crawl. You need the metadata.
- Talk to a professional. Whether it's an HR rep you trust or legal counsel, don't try to handle it alone.
- Know your rights. Harassment isn't just about physical contact; it's about the environment created by unwanted communication.
The "Gunslinger" might have thought he was just being bold, but the trail of damage he left behind says otherwise. Sterger has since found success in comedy and writing, finally taking control of her own narrative after years of being defined by someone else's bad decisions.
It took fifteen years and a documentary for the full weight of the story to sink in. We've moved past the era where this kind of thing can be laughed off as "boys being boys." Or at least, we're trying to.