While he is still under a cloud of suspicion for allegedly committing welfare fraud in his home state of Mississippi, former NFL quarterback Brett Favre is suing several individuals in connection with the scandal.
According to ESPN, the NFL Hall of Famer filed three individual defamation lawsuits Thursday against Mississippi state auditor Shad White and two superstars in sports media, former football players Shannon Sharpe and Pat McAfee.
White’s office found out that at minimum,
$77 million from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program was misappropriated to go to rich and powerful people who live in Mississippi. Favre was allegedly given $1.1 million in funds regulated for the TANF program. The money was paid to Favre supposedly for speeches that he never gave.Although it took some time, Favre eventually paid it back; the state wants a payment of $228,000 in interest.
In Favre’s lawsuit filed against White, he accuses the auditor of using the fraud allegations against him for political clout to advance his career. The audit done by White led to the allegations levied against Favre. In legal paperwork, the former quarterback accuses White of “shamelessly and falsely attacking Favre’s good name” to advance his political career.
In response to Favre’s lawsuit, Fletcher Freeman, a spokesman for the State Auditor’s office said, “Mr. Favre has called Auditor White and his team liars despite
repaying some of the money our office demanded from him. He’s also claimed the auditors are liars despite clear documentary evidence showing he benefited from misspent funds. Instead of paying New York litigators to try this case, he’d be better off fully repaying the amount of welfare funds he owes the state.”In the paperwork filed against Sharpe and McAfee, Favre is suing because both broadcasters made statements pertaining to the character of Favre once the news came out about the auditor’s findings.
In Favre’s lawsuit against Sharpe, co-host of Fox Sports 1’s Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, Farve claims that Sharpe defamed him by saying Favre is a “sorry mofo to steal from the lowest of the low,” and that Favre “stole money from people that really needed that money.”
McAfee, according to the suit, called Favre a “thief” who was “stealing from poor people in Mississippi” on The Pat McAfee Show.