Brett Favre Tries To Revive Defamation Lawsuit Against Shannon Sharpe

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UPDATED: 9:30 a.m. ET, July 9

Brett Favre is once again trying to blame others instead of taking accountability for his shady actions.

According to AP, lawyers for Favre are asking a federal appeals court to revive a defamation lawsuit the retired NFL quarterback filed against Shannon Sharpe. Sharpe was critical of Favre’s involvement in one of the largest welfare scandals in Mississippi state history.

In October 2023, a federal judge dismissed Brett Favre’s defamation lawsuit against Shannon Sharpe for connecting and criticizing Favre’s involvement in the Mississippi welfare scandal. Favre sued Sharpe, claiming Sharpe made “egregiously false” statements about Favre’s involvement in the welfare scandal on the then Fox Sports talk show, Skip and Shannon: Undisputed.

Favre also filed defamation suits against sports commentator and former college kicker Pat McAfee and Shad White, the State Auditor who revealed that Favre was linked to the alleged fraud scheme.

Favre now awaits the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to see if his lawsuit against Sharpe will be reinstated.

Mississippi state auditor Shad White says Brett Favre still owes the state nearly $730,000 for his involvement in the Mississippi welfare scandal.

According to AP, White filed court papers in February, calling for Favre to repay the state $729,790 in federal welfare funds he allegedly improperly spent on 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 Monday.

AP also reported that Favre repaid $500,000 to the state in May 2020 and $600,000 in October 2021, but still owes over $700,000 due to interest on the original amount. 

He continued, “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.”

Brett Favre’s legal battle for his alleged involvement in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) welfare scandal has been going on for over a year. 

In 2022, White revealed that $70 million in TANF welfare funds were dished out to a multimillionaire athlete, a professional wrestler, a horse farm and a volleyball complex.

One of those recipients of the welfare money was none other than Hall Of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. 

From $70 million, $8.1 million was allegedly given to entities tied to Brett Favre. According to reports, Favre was paid $1.1 million in federal welfare funds in 2017 and 2018 for motivational speeches he allegedly never gave.

Text messages were then released that suggested former Gov. Phil Bryant helped channel at least $5 million of the state’s welfare funds into a volleyball stadium project for Brett Favre and the University of Southern Mississippi. Favre’s daughter plays volleyball for the university, and he received most of the fundraising credit for the project.

Among 40 civil case defendants, Brett Favre denied any wrongdoing, alleging he did not know the money was from TANF funds. But, one of the text exchanges especially contradicts Favre’s claims about the TANF money.

“If you were to pay me is there any way the media can find out where it came from and how much?” Favre asked Nancy New, the nonprofit leader who pleaded guilty last year, to state charges of misusing public money. New responded saying, “No, we never had that information publicized.”

In December, Favre was deposed by state attorneys for over nine hours about his involvement in the scandal. The transcript of the deposition was never made public.

Favre has not been criminally charged on the state or federal level.

SEE ALSO:

Brett Favre Ignores Subpoenas For Tax Returns In Mississippi Welfare Case

What Brett Favre’s Welfare Scandal Means For Black People In Mississippi

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