Deadspin’s mission is to be everything the mainstream news media are not: snarky, mean spirited and unbound by more rigorous principles of old-line journalism. In that spirit of online mayhem, the sports blog last Thursday posted photographs of what it purports to be Brett Favre’s genitals, shots that it said he sent while still the Jets’ quarterback to Jenn Sterger, a former game-day host for the team. So far, the story has been viewed 1.9 million times.

True or false, the story is tantalizing and sordid gossip about a future Hall of Famer  and Deadspin had been playing it (and its follow-ups) with a raw, gleeful rush of tabloid energy as the Jets prepared to play Monday night against Favre and his current team, the Minnesota Vikings.

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But any mainstream news outlet that hoped to ignore or marginalize the story could not after the N.F.L. said Friday afternoon that it was investigating Favre’s conduct. A. J. Daulerio, Deadspin’s editor, said he knew the story would be picked up by other news media if it was seen as a possible case of sexual harassment.

“To me, that was a public acknowledgment that it had reached a point where the N.F.L. considered the impact,” said Vince Doria, the senior vice president and director of news at ESPN. “Reaction of that sort lifts a story to where you can report it.”