Brett Favre Scandal: What’s At Stake?

Is Brett Favre another Tiger Woods?

Like Tiger, Brett has had a reputation as a family man throughout his career, but if the latest allegations are true – not anymore.

The NFL star is facing accusations that while he was a member of the New York Jets in 2008, he allegedly left voicemails and allegedly sent very graphic photos of himself to Jenn Sterger – a Jets sideline reporter at the time.

The voicemails and photos were obtained by popular sports blog Deadspin.com, a site that claims the material is authentic.

“We’ve had some independent verification from other people who know Brett Favre a lot better than we do – a lot better than most people do – who have confirmed that it is actually him, or they have no doubt it’s him,” Deadspin editor-in-chief A.J. Daulerio told Access Hollywood on Monday.

So far, Sterger – a former Playboy playmate – is not commenting on the alleged sex-ting, and neither was Favre during a recent press conference. Though on Monday, Favre has since apologized to his teammates for being a distraction.

“I’m not getting into that. I’ve got my hands full with the Jets,” Favre, who now plays for the Minnesota Vikings, said in response to a reporter’s question asking for comment on the scandal on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Daulerio claims Deadspin – which first broke the story – bought the photos and voice recordings from a third party, and not from Sterger. In addition, he said Sterger didn’t want to the story to come out.

“She’s not talking to anybody. She’s mortified by this whole situation and rightfully so,” Daulerio added. “She knew if she came forward with this, she would be portrayed as someone she’s actually not.”

If the story is true, it wouldn’t be the first time Favre – a sure-fire NFL Hall of Famer, who turned 41 on Sunday – has tried to hook up with other girls, according to his wife, Deanna.

In her 2007 autobiography, “Don’t Bet Against Me,” which chronicled her battle with cancer, Deanna wrote that she knew “there were other women” even before they got married.

Coincidentally, the 26-year-old Sterger – who now hosts a cable sports show – bares a striking resemblance to the 41-year-old Deanna. Sterger is also just five years older than Favre’s eldest daughter, Brittany.

While the scandal is most certainly rocking Favre’s personal life, it could also have a serious impact on his bottom line as a big time endorser.

“He makes a lot of money in endorsements right now. His brand is in big trouble,” media analyst Steve Adubato said on the “Today” show.

However, the quarterback may face even more criticism if it’s found that Sterger isn’t the only woman who has received unwanted advances from him, as Deadspin suggested.

“There are two other women who claim while they were massage therapists at the Jets training camp in 2008 that Brett had also sent them lewd text messages asking them to come back to his hotel room and hangout,” Deadspin’s Daulerio claimed to Access. “They were also suggestive and annoyed by it to the point one of the women’s husbands got Brett on the phone and demanded an apology from him.”

“If that’s true, he’s got to throw himself on the mercy of the public, NFL fans, of women across this country, his wife,” Adubato noted.

The NFL is currently investigating the allegations against Favre. While his actions are not illegal, if found to be true, they could violate the NFL’s tough Code of Conduct policy, which states “All persons associated with the NFL are required to avoid ‘conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the National Football League,’” according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

If the NFL finds Favre violated the policy, it could lead to a severe suspension for the athlete, and possibly a huge hit on his reported $13 million dollar salary with the Vikings.

As for his former team, the Jets, they issued a statement to Access Hollywood on Monday noting that they “are working closely with the league in their review of this matter.”

Favre’s Vikings face the Jets on tonight’s Monday Night Football.