Brett Favre addresses Bountygate, says he still cheered for Saints in Super Bowl

Pretty sure he was alone in Minnesota in that.
September 9, 2010; New Orleans, LA, USA;  New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton greets Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre (4) midfield following the Saints victory over the Vikings 14-9.  Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images
September 9, 2010; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton greets Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre (4) midfield following the Saints victory over the Vikings 14-9. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images
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Brett Favre has addressed the notorious "Bountygate" scandal in the 2009 NFC Championship between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints, saying he bears no ill will to the Saints and then-head coach Sean Payton for the alleged deliberate targeting of the quarterback for financial reward.

The Packers-turned-Vikings quarterback was on the receiving end of a heartbreaking 31-28 defeat, throwing an across-the-body pick late in the game when it was tied 28-28.

With Friday marking the 15th anniversary of the game, Favre took to Twitter to share some thoughts about a game that he admits "I haven't really spoken about."

But Vikings fans hoping he shares the same vitriolic hatred for the Saints and Payton as they do will be disappointed, with Favre saying: "I don’t have any ill-will towards those involved in Bounty Gate. After we lost to the Saints, I rooted for Drew Brees and Sean Payton to win the Super Bowl."

When he thinks of the game, which would have sent the Vikings to their first Super Bowl since 1977, Favre says he instead focuses on "the things I couldn've done to help my team win."

"As some may know, I played the game with the mindset to be prepared for anything: big hits, injuries, and players trying to knock my head off," he said. "I never made excuses for the times I wasn’t successful and played the game within the ruleset. In fact, losing just made me want to work harder and fueled my drive to win next time."

"Looking back 15 years later, my opinion hasn’t changed. If I could have some of those plays back and done my part, maybe we would have been the ones celebrating a championship victory in 2010," he added.

The game would ultimately rank in one of the top 5 Vikings heartbreakers, rivaled only by Gary Anderson's wide-left miss in the 1998 NFC Championship Game

The Saints went on to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV, while Payton would become a perennial villain in the eyes of Vikings fans. They gained some measure of revenge in the 2017 divisional series, dubbed the "Minneapolis Miracle" thanks to Stefon Diggs' last-gasp, walkoff touchdown to send the Saints packing.


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Adam Uren
ADAM UREN

Adam, raised on the Isle of Man, brings 15 years of experience as a reporter and editor at both regional and national levels in the U.K. and the U.S. In 2014, he moved to Minnesota and joined Bring Me The News, focusing on news coverage for the Twin Cities, Rochester, Mankato, St. Cloud, and greater Minnesota. Now a co-owner and editor of Bring Me The News, Bring Me The Sports, and Bring Me The Weather, Adam balances his editorial duties with occasional sports writing. His top three passions are his family, Liverpool F.C., and British baked bean