Brett Favre Reportedly Involved in Massive Public Fraud Case in Mississippi
A new report reveals that legendary NFL quarterback Brett Favre obtained welfare funds to help build a new volleyball center at the University of Southern Mississippi. According to Mississippi Today, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant helped Favre in the process as the two were exchanging text messages on how to divert at least $5 million in welfare funds. Favre played college football at Southern Miss, and his daughter was a volleyball player there where the text messages were sent in 2017 and 2019. The text messages were filed by an attorney representing Nancy New, who recently pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts of bribery, fraud and racketeering for her role in the welfare scheme, according to ESPN. She was the founder of the Mississippi Education Center, which had the task to spend tens of millions of welfare funds.
"If you were to pay me is there any way the media can find out where it came from and how much?" Favre asked New in a text message. New replied that the information is never "publicized" and then said "let's see what happens" after conversations with people from the school. New also told Favre that Bryant "is on board with us."
Favre's attorney, Bud Holmes, told Mississippi Today that the former Green Bay Packers quarterback did know he received welfare funds. "Brett Favre has been honorable throughout this whole thing," Holmes said. Bryant, who left office in January 2020, denied helping direct welfare funds to the stadium project and didn't address the text messages in a statement with Mississippi Today. Favre and Bryant have not been criminally charged.
This report comes nearly a year after Favre paid back $600,000 in state welfare money he accepted for speeches he didn't appear. The allegations came to light in early 2020 when former Mississippi Department of Human Services Director John Davis and five others were indicted. Overall, Favre received $1.1 million in welfare money he received for the speeches. He repaid $500,000 in May 2020.
"My agent is often approached by different products and brands for me to appear in one way or another," Favre said at the time. "This request was no different, and I did numerous ads for Families First. I have never received monies for obligations I didn't meet. To reiterate Auditors White's statement, I was unaware that the money being dispersed was paid for out of funds not intended for that purpose, and because of that, I am refunding the full amount back to Mississippi."