Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre faced renewed calls to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars in Mississippi welfare funds that were allegedly funneled to various pet projects supported by the athlete years after his Hall of Fame career ended.
State auditor Shad White filed court papers on Monday demanding nearly $730,000 from Favre in the long-running legal fight over public funds that were intended to support disadvantaged communities in one of the nation’s poorest states.
White submitted the motion as a counterclaim to a defamation lawsuit that was filed by Favre in 2023, claiming White and two sports commentators had disparaged him in public discussions about the welfare scandal involving the nonprofit Mississippi Community Education Center.
Former NFL player Brett Favre walks off the 10th tee box during the Celebrity Foursome at the second round of the American Family Insurance Championship at University Ridge Golf Club on June 11, 2022, in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
In October, a federal judge dismissed Favre’s defamation claim against NFL analyst Shannon Sharpe, while Favre dropped his suit against color commentator Pat McAfee after the host apologized for public statements that accused Favre of “stealing from poor people in Mississippi.”
Favre, who retired from the league in 2010 and continues to live in the state, allegedly received $1.1 million in improper speaking fees from a nonprofit organization that had been granted approval by the Mississippi Department of Human Services to utilize welfare funds.
The funds, drawn from the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, were intended to help low-income residents but instead were steered to help construct a new volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi, Favre’s alma mater.
From there, Favre was paid a lucrative sum to give a fundraising speech to support the new facility, where his daughter joined the volleyball team in 2017, however, he never showed up.
Under pressure, the Packers legend repaid $500,000 to the state in May 2020, plus an additional $600,000 in October 2021, however, Favre was still on the hook for the remaining balance of $729,790 in interest, the court filing says.
“Favre had no legal right to the possession or control of this $1.1 million,” White’s legal team stated in the court filing.
“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 said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.
Prosecutors allege that millions of dollars in federal welfare funds were misappropriated for projects favored by prominent individuals between 2016 and 2019.
A lawsuit filed in 2022 by the Department of Human Services claimed millions of dollars in TANF funds were misappropriated, including $5 million for a volleyball arena and $1.7 million for a concussion treatment drug, both supported by Brett Favre.
Favre continues to deny that he did anything wrong, and no criminal charges have ever been brought against the former quarterback in the case.
