It’s been a rough few years in the media for former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who is attempting to continue a legal battle against TV personality and football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe.
Favre’s lawyer will ask a federal appeals court to reinstate a defamation lawsuit Sharpe for comments he’d made about Favre on the Fox Sports show “Undisputed,” according to a July 9 report from the Associated Press’ Kevin McGill. A federal judge had thrown out the lawsuit in October 2023, saying Sharpe’s commentary about Favre’s role in Mississippi welfare case were protected under the First Amendment.
Brett Favre’s Mississippi Welfare Scandal
In the biggest story of Favre’s post-playing career, he found himself in the middle of a welfare scandal in his home state of Mississippi.
Leaked text messages showed Favre working with Governor Phil Bryant to fund a volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi, which they both attended. The state is accused of using $1 million in funds aimed at assisting the poor in Mississippi to fund the facility.
Although Favre repaid the $1.1 million owed in two installments, Mississippi’s state auditor filed documents in February that he still owed the state over $700,000 in interest from the loan.
Favre is involved in multiple lawsuits, including the defamation one directed toward Sharpe. However, he currently faces no criminal charges from the welfare scandal.
Meanwhile, the journalist who broke the story may be facing jail time. Anna Wolfe and her editor, Adam Ganucheau, have been given a court order to hand over documents that include confidential sources that helped break the story. The two are prepared to face prison time for refusal to give up their sources.
“If one of us goes to jail, we will be the first person to go to jail in the Mississippi welfare scandal,” Wolfe said to NBC news. “How can I make promises to sources that I’m going to keep them confidential if this is possible?”
Brett Favre’s Other Controversies
This isn’t the first time Favre has dealt with off-field controversy.
During his playing career, Favre dealt with a serious addiction to painkillers. The addiction led to significant health issues, including potentially deadly seizures. He willingly entered into the league’s substance abuse program.
Near the end of his playing days, Favre was back in the news for allegedly sending inappropriate text messages to a New York Jets reporter. Although the NFL was unable to find any evidence, Favre was fined $50,000 for refusing to cooperate with the league’s investigation.
Despite being one of the most successful quarterbacks in NFL history, Favre has been unable to stay away from off-field controversy. His defamation case is just another controversy to add to the list.
Favre previously played with Sharpe’s brother, Sterling Sharpe, during their time together in Green Bay. However, it appears that the two continue to have issues with each other as Favre attempts to reinstate his previous lawsuit against his former teammate’s brother.
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