In our previous update on Brett Favre, we discussed his efforts to combat allegations of involvement in diverting funds from Mississippi’s welfare fund to support a volleyball court at his former school, where his daughter played. Apart from potentially repaying the funds, Favre has chosen to regain public favor by filing a lawsuit against sports commentators Pat McAfee and Shannon Sharpe, as well as Mississippi Auditor Shad White, for defamation. While the lawsuits against McAfee and Sharpe were settled and dismissed respectively, Favre is appealing the dismissal of his suit against Sharpe. To date, Favre has denied any wrongdoing and has not faced any criminal charges.
In response, White has retaliated against Favre by filing a counterclaim to the defamation suit, alleging that the Hall of Fame quarterback still owes the state a substantial amount of money, nearly three-quarters of a million dollars. White is seeking a court order to compel Favre to repay this amount. White filed documents on Monday, refuting Favre’s defamation claims and asserting that Favre owes Mississippi over $430,000 in principal and almost $300,000 in accrued interest since the state initially demanded repayment.
White’s filings shed little new light on the situation, but they do contain some damaging allegations. For instance, the suit claims that Favre realized using him as a conduit for the restricted welfare funds to the volleyball construction project could be a way to circumvent the restrictions on spending the money on a physical structure. The suit also alleges that Favre was aware that the funds were meant to aid the poor, not construct volleyball buildings, as of July 31, 2017. White further asserts that Favre insisted on secrecy regarding the transfer of welfare funds to him. Favre allegedly wrote to a Mississippi state official, stating, “So if we keep confidential where the money came from as well as the amount I think this is gonna work.”
Brett Favre’s position is not looking favorable. White’s complaint extensively includes Favre’s text messages (complete with peculiar sentence structure and misplaced emojis) and communications with state officials. Favre claims that he repaid the State of Mississippi the $1.1 million in funds, which amounts to almost four percent of the total grant funds intended for underprivileged children and their families, according to White’s counterclaim. However, White argues that in May 2020, Favre admitted personal responsibility and promised repayment in the following months. Based on Favre’s statements, White alleges that the state refrained from collection efforts. However, the situation has reached an impasse, with Favre refusing to pay any additional funds, while White cites state law that necessitates charging interest from the dates the funds were wrongfully withheld.
The resolution of the case will likely depend on determining the date the funds were wrongfully withheld, with both parties presenting their own calculations regarding the amount Favre still owes the state, if any. However, the most significant takeaway from reviewing the legal documents is that Favre continues to deny any wrongdoing and instead of making amends to the people of Mississippi, he is suing anyone who accuses him of misappropriating welfare funds. Favre has also declined to repay any additional funds to the state, leading White to comment, “It is astonishing that Mr. Favre believes he is entitled to an interest-free loan of $1.1 million in taxpayer money, especially funds intended for the benefit of the impoverished.” Indeed, it is one thing to be Mississippi’s beloved NFL figure (though that title should rightfully belong to Walter Payton), but it is entirely different to allegedly manipulate state officials into funding your child’s volleyball facility with money intended for disadvantaged children.
According to various sources, Brett Favre’s net worth in 2023 is estimated to be around $100 million. While this may not be a substantial sum in the realm of billionaire sports owners, for the rest of us, it is undeniably a significant amount of wealth. It would certainly be more than enough to finance a modest $5 million volleyball facility in Southern Mississippi. Initially, Favre had intended to fund the entire project himself. However, it remains unclear why he changed his mind. Favre’s actions thus far, such as refusing to pay interest on funds that should have supported Mississippi’s poorest residents and aggressively pursuing legal action against anyone who criticizes him, do not demonstrate remorse. Instead of taking responsibility and promptly repaying the state upon discovering the true purpose of the funds he received, which is what any decent person would do upon realizing their involvement in diverting welfare funds for a college sports arena, Favre may end up incurring significant legal expenses (thus far, he has not recovered any money from his three defamation suits) and still owe the state nearly $750,000 in principal and interest.
As for Brett Favre’s reputation, it is irreparably damaged.