Brett Favre’s rise and fall: New Netflix documentary uncovers scandals & legacy

Netflix is spotlighting Brett Favre’s rise and fall in a new documentary, “Untold: The Fall of Favre,” tracing the Hall of Fame quarterback’s NFL success and the scandals that followed. 

The documentary explores Favre’s celebrated NFL career, but also delves into the sexting allegations that surfaced during his time with the New York Jets and his alleged involvement in a $94 million Mississippi welfare fraud scheme.

Director Rebecca Gitlitz wanted to examine whether people in positions of power believe they are above the law after seeing how history repeated itself with Favre. The documentary features interviews with Ron Wolf, the Packers GM who traded for Favre in 1992, and Peter King, a retired Sports Illustrated writer who was close to Favre during his career. Notably absent from the film is Favre himself, who declined to participate, telling the director he could make his documentary if he wanted to, as The Guardian points out. The film also includes an appearance by Michael Vick, highlighting the difference in how America reacted to their respective scandals.

USA Today notes that the documentary, which premiered Tuesday on Netflix, serves its purpose through good storytelling from the talking heads who appeared in the film, mostly sportswriters who covered Favre during his 20 NFL seasons. While the documentary is only an hour long, which is surprising given the complexity of the subject, it attempts to tell a balanced story. According to USA Today, the first 12 minutes focus on Favre's career before introducing Jenn Sterger, who claims Favre sent her unsolicited explicit pictures when they both worked for the New York Jets. "Brett Favre ultimately destroyed my life," Sterger says in the film, revealing that she has never actually met Favre, who was fined $50,000 by the NFL for not cooperating with their investigation.

The documentary also covers the Mississippi welfare scandal, where Favre sought to build a new arena at Southern Mississippi, where his daughter played volleyball. As USA Today highlights, one of the most interesting parts of the film shows executive producer A.J. Perez listening to audio recordings after being threatened by Favre's representatives for reporting on the scandal. Favre used the courts to try to clear his name, suing media personalities Shannon Sharpe and Pat McAfee for defamation, as well as the State Auditor of Mississippi and two journalists, including Pulitzer Prize winner Anna Wolfe.

The Clarion Ledger reports that director Rebecca Gitlitz spent two to three years making the film, saying she was drawn to the story because it had "a lot of nuance" and "a lot of things to unpack." Gitlitz, a two-time Emmy Award-winning director who has previously directed films on controversial figures like Rudy Giuliani, told The Clarion Ledger that she wanted people to understand "the full picture" before drawing their own conclusions. The film explores Favre's fame in Mississippi, which was comparable to athletes like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, while also examining his involvement in questionable sports drug companies and the $1 million in speaking fees he was paid for but never delivered.

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/may/20/brett-favre-netflix-documentary

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/media/2025/05/20/brett-favre-the-fall-of-favre-netflix-review/83741497007/

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2025/05/19/director-of-netflix-fall-of-favre-documentary-on-brett-favre-talks-about-film/83610476007/