Sports

Brett Favre’s Radio Show on Hold Amid Welfare Fraud Scandal

Fans of Brett Favre’s weekly NFL show for SiriusXM will have to get their sports news elsewhere as the show is on an indefinite hiatus as the investigation into his alleged welfare fraud scandal merges on. A company spokesperson confirmed such to Variety. The SiriusXM rep declined to provide further comment regarding the matter. The retired NFL baller first began co-hosting the SiriusXM show in 2018 and has appeared on The SiriusXM Blitz With Brett Favre and Bruce Murray every Tuesday. The news comes after ESPN Milwaukee has also suspended his weekly program The Brett Favre Show, which recaps Packers games.

The former baller is accused of working with former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant to use federal welfare funds toward the construction of a new $5 million-plus volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi. He is an alum of the university, and his daughter played volleyball at the school. Favre has denied any wrongdoing in the matter.

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The FBI interviewed Favre over $1.1 million in speaking fees he received in 2017-18. However, it was discovered that he didn’t uphold his end of the deal and didn’t complete the speaking engagements. He paid back the fees, which had come from federal welfare funds dedicated to low-income families in Mississippi.ย 

Mississippi Today shared texts that seemingly show him and Bryant, as well as former executive director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services John Davis and nonprofit founder Nancy New in cahoots to divert the welfare funds for the volleyball stadium. Social media users have since coined Favre the “welfare queen.”

In the text exchange, Favre asked New, “If you were to pay me is there any way the media can find out where it came from and how much?” New replied: “No, we never had that information publicized.” Prosecutors note that Davis has pleaded guilty to both federal and state charges of embezzling federal welfare funds and conspiring to defraud the state.