*Instead of addressing his alleged involvement in a massive welfare fraud case, Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre‘s legal team is petitioning a federal appeals court to reinstate a defamation lawsuit against sports commentator Shannon Sharpe.
This lawsuit initially arose after Sharpe publicly criticized Favre on the Fox Sports talk show “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed,” linking him to one of the largest welfare scandals in Mississippi’s history.
In October 2023, a federal judge dismissed Favre’s defamation lawsuit against Sharpe. The lawsuit centered on comments Sharpe made on the Fox Sports talk show, where he connected Favre to the Mississippi welfare scandal.
Favre claimed Sharpe made “egregiously false” statements about his involvement. Additionally, Favre filed defamation suits against sports commentator and former college kicker Pat McAfee and Shad White, the State Auditor who first revealed Favre’s connection to the alleged fraud scheme. Favre now awaits the decision of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to see if his lawsuit against Sharpe will be reinstated, according to TheAP.
Shad White, Mississippi State Auditor, says Brett Favre still owes the state nearly $730,000 for his involvement in the welfare scandal. In February, White filed court papers calling for Favre to repay $729,790 in federal welfare funds he allegedly misused for personal projects.
“Favre had no legal right to the possession or control of this $1.1 million,” White’s attorneys wrote in the court filing. While Favre repaid $500,000 in May 2020 and $600,000 in October 2021, he still owes over $700,000 due to interest on the original amount.
“It boggles the mind that Mr. Favre could imagine he is entitled to the equivalent of an interest-free loan of $1.1 million in taxpayer money, especially money intended for the benefit of the poor,” White remarked.
Favre’s legal battle over his alleged involvement in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) welfare scandal has been ongoing for over a year. In 2022, White revealed that $70 million in TANF welfare funds were misallocated to various high-profile individuals and projects, including $8.1 million allegedly tied to Favre. Reports indicate that Favre was paid $1.1 million in federal welfare funds in 2017 and 2018 for motivational speeches he allegedly never gave.
Text messages suggested former Governor Phil Bryant helped channel at least $5 million of the state’s welfare funds into a volleyball stadium project for Favre and the University of Southern Mississippi, where Favre’s daughter plays volleyball.
Despite being among 40 civil defendants, Favre has consistently denied any wrongdoing, claiming ignorance of the funds’ TANF origins. However, text exchanges undermine this defense.
In one notable message, Favre asked Nancy New—who has pled guilty to state charges of misusing public money—if the media could ever discover the source and amount of his payment. New responded assuringly:
“No, we never had that information publicized.”
In December, Favre was subjected to a nine-hour deposition by state attorneys concerning his involvement in the welfare scandal, though the transcript has not been released to the public. To date, Favre remains uncharged at the state and federal levels.
As Favre awaits the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision on his defamation suit against Sharpe, the broader welfare scandal looms large, raising pressing questions about accountability and justice in one of Mississippi’s most significant financial fraud cases.
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