We all remember the 2010 NFL season for different reasons. For some, it was Aaron Rodgers finally stepping out of the shadow of a legend. For others, it was the beginning of the end for the "Gunslinger" himself. But honestly, if you were online back then, you remember the texts. You remember the voicemails. And you definitely remember the grainy, leaked images that became known as the Brett Favre dick pic.
It was messy. It was weird. And looking back from 2026, it feels like a fever dream from a different era of the internet.
The Sidekick, the Voicemails, and Jenn Sterger
Basically, the whole thing started in 2008. Brett Favre was the new face of the New York Jets. Jenn Sterger was a gameday host—someone the league was using to bring a younger, "edgier" vibe to the sidelines. She was a former Florida State "Cowgirl" who had gone viral before "viral" was even a common word.
According to Sterger, Favre was relentless.
He didn't just walk up and say hi. In fact, she’s famously said multiple times, including in the recent Untold: The Fall of Favre documentary, that they never actually met in person. Not once. No handshake. No "nice to meet you." Just a series of increasingly uncomfortable digital breadcrumbs.
It started with a Jets employee asking for her number on Favre's behalf. She said no. Then came the MySpace messages. Then the texts. Then the voicemails.
"I'm pretty sure I'm being punked," she thought at the time. But the voice on the other end was unmistakable. It was the MVP. It was the guy from the Wrangler commercials. And he was inviting her to his hotel room.
Then, the photos came.
These weren't high-def iPhones shots. We're talking 2008 technology here—T-mail sent from a T-Mobile Sidekick. Sterger says she was sent unsolicited, explicit photos of Favre’s anatomy. She didn't ask for them. She didn't want them. She just wanted to do her job.
How Deadspin Blew the Roof Off
The world didn't find out about any of this until 2010. By then, Favre was a Minnesota Viking. He was chasing a Super Bowl. Sterger had moved on to a job at the Versus network.
A.J. Daulerio, then the editor of the sports blog Deadspin, got wind of the story. He reportedly paid a third party for the materials—the voicemails and the photos. When the post went live on October 7, 2010, it didn't just go viral. It cratered the sports world.
Suddenly, the "wholesome" hero of Green Bay was the guy in the gray-haired "sexting" scandal.
The NFL launched an investigation. They looked at the forensic evidence. They interviewed Sterger. They interviewed Favre.
The result? A big fat nothing. Well, almost nothing.
Commissioner Roger Goodell couldn't "conclude" that Favre sent the photos. Why? Because the league's forensic experts couldn't definitively prove the photos came from Favre's phone or that it was definitely him in the pictures. Favre admitted to the voicemails, but he flat-out denied sending the Brett Favre dick pic.
The NFL ended up fining him $50,000.
But here’s the kicker: the fine wasn't for the harassment. It was for "failure to cooperate" with the investigation. To a guy making $11.6 million that year, fifty grand was basically the change he’d find in his couch cushions. It was a slap on the wrist that felt like a punch in the gut to anyone watching.
The Double Standard: Sterger vs. Favre
While Favre kept playing, Sterger’s life fell apart.
Honestly, the way the media treated her back then was brutal. She was called a "gold-digger." She was called a "homewrecker." People asked why she didn't just "block him"—ignoring that the technology wasn't the same back then and that he was the most powerful person in the building.
- Favre's Outcome: He retired (eventually), went to the Hall of Fame, and remained a beloved figure for years until his later welfare fraud scandal in Mississippi started making headlines.
- Sterger's Outcome: Her show on Versus was canceled. She was "blacklisted" from many sports media opportunities because she was seen as "trouble."
It took over a decade and a shift in how we talk about workplace harassment for the narrative to flip. In 2024 and 2025, Sterger began speaking out more through stand-up comedy and documentaries, finally getting to tell her side without being the punchline of a late-night talk show host’s monologue.
What This Scandal Taught the NFL
If you look at the league today, things are different. Mostly.
The Favre incident forced the NFL to implement actual workplace conduct training. They realized they couldn't just ignore what happened in the tunnels of the stadium or in the private DMs of employees.
But the "Favre Rule" didn't really fix everything overnight. It just highlighted how much power stars have over "disposable" staff.
Moving Forward: Lessons from the "Gunslinger" Era
The Brett Favre dick pic saga isn't just about a lewd photo. It's about the intersection of early social media, celebrity worship, and the total lack of protection for women in sports.
If you're looking for the "takeaway" here, it's pretty simple:
- Digital is forever. Even in 2008, what you sent on a Sidekick could come back to haunt you two years later.
- Power dynamics matter. Harassment isn't just about the act; it's about the environment that allows it to happen without consequences.
- Believe the "troublemakers." Usually, the people labeled as "problems" by big organizations are just the ones who refused to be quiet about being mistreated.
Today, Sterger is doing her thing in comedy and media on her own terms. Favre is dealing with much heavier legal battles regarding diverted welfare funds in his home state. The "Gunslinger" legacy is complicated, to say the least. But if you want to understand why people look at him differently now, you have to look back at those T-mails from 2008.
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Next Step: You should look into the Untold: The Fall of Favre documentary on Netflix. It provides the most recent, firsthand accounts from the people who were actually in the room—or at least, in the inbox.