Warren Sapp got Brett Favre’s attention for the first time on January 4, 1998. The Green Bay Packers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were playing in a divisional playoff. Who knew fans would witness one of the greatest rivalries in the NFL since then? The Packers excelled in that game and won 21-7 over the Buccaneers. Sapp won many hearts and was also a formidable competitor by sacking Favre three times and forcing two fumbles.

But, over the years, Favre and Sapp have formed an unexpected friendship. In his interviews, Favre always said he would not stop talking about Sapp, and fans expect the same. Recently, the former Packers star was seen backing his longtime rival. An incident occurred at CU fall camp, leaving the new Colorado graduate assistant, Sapp, in shock. All he wanted was for his players to practice and perform well in the Big 12 championship. But, during the practice, Colorado Buffaloes’ edge BJ Green II took things too seriously. He was working on his pass-rushing, and suddenly, he got excited and ended up pinning Sapp down.

Three Pregame Show posted a clip of the incident from the practice, and it was evident that Sapp was quite surprised. Many commented on the post, and some fans sympathized with the 51-year-old. One of the fans commented, “Come on man. You can’t hit your coach like that. Smh.”

After the video was hyped on Instagram, Favre took fans down the lane and shared photos of Sapp and him in action. He captioned the post, “As Dan Henderson said in his book, “Sometimes you’re the hammer, and sometimes you’re the nail.” “That was definitely the case battling Warren Sapp!” and “Glad, I don’t have to line up against him anymore.”

Sapp took no time to reply and acknowledge Favre and commented, “We had Fun buddy! Favre Backs #YouWonMore #SappJusthunting😮😂.”

Brett Favre and Warren Sapp share mutual respect despite rivalry

Favre and Sapp are two NFL legends who have played 20 and 13 NFL seasons, respectively. However, both of them were tough competitors to each other. Fans could always see and enjoy the healthy competition. Even after many years, they share the same mutual respect. No one could ever imagine sacking Favre like Sapp did. Even after bad words and angry faces on the ground, Favre respects and appreciates Sapp more than anyone and counts him as one of the top three best defensive players he has ever faced.

Tampa Bay reported Favre’s statement on their friendship, “I would have never thought the two of us would become friends like we have… It was a mutual respect, I think, as true competitors. You disliked playing against each other, but something about it always challenged us. I think we pushed each other, in a strange sort of way, to be great players.”

Sapp’s take on Favre is not different. He agrees with Favre. The Super Bowl champions are setting a positive example for the new youth. Despite being known for their rivalry all these years, Favre taking a stand for Sapp highlights what true sportsmanship looks like. They are setting a worthy example for future generations. And we know their affection for the sport is much higher than any rivalry.