Former NFL player Brett Favre has filed defamation lawsuits against Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, Fox Sports personality Shannon Sharpe and sports podcast host Pat McAfee over Favre’s alleged involvement in a $77 million Mississippi welfare fraud case.
The suits were filed Thursday in federal court in Hinds County, Mississippi.
Former NFL player Brett Favre attends SiriusXM At Super Bowl LVI Feb. 11, 2022, in Los Angeles. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM )
The state of Mississippi is suing 38 people or companies in an attempt to recoup $24 million of $77 million in federal welfare money, according to a report by Mississippi Today.
White, the auditor who first discovered the misspending and fraud, is one of the more prominent public officials to speak publicly regarding Favre’s alleged involvement.
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“Shad White, the state auditor of Mississippi, has carried out an outrageous media campaign of malicious and false accusations against Brett Favre, the Hall of Fame quarterback and native son of Mississippi, in a brazen attempt to leverage the media attention generated by Favre’s celebrity to further his own political career,” Favre’s suit says.
“By shamelessly and falsely attacking Favre’s good name, White has gained national media attention he previously could have only dreamed of, including appearances on television shows on CNN and HBO, a popular ESPN podcast, as well as interviews for print and online media. None of these national media outlets would have paid White the slightest attention had he not been attacking Favre. White himself acknowledged this, admitting that his own wife was ‘shocked’ by his appearance on the ESPN Daily Podcast.”
Former NFL player Brett Favre speaks onstage during SiriusXM at Super Bowl LIV Jan. 31, 2020, in Miami, Fla. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM )
The suit accuses White of making “egregiously false and defamatory statements” that accuse Favre of “steal[ing] taxpayer funds” and misusing funds “designed to serve poor folks,” according to the suit.
Favre sent Auditor White a letter demanding he “retract and apologize for his defamatory statement and cease and desist from making further defamatory falsehoods against Favre.” The suit claims White “failed and refused to do so.”
Favre’s suit specifies he is suing White “in his individual capacity.”
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“Everything Auditor White has said about this case is true and is backed by years of audit work by the professionals at the Office of the State Auditor,” Fletcher Freeman of the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“It’s mind-boggling that Mr. Favre wants to have a trial about that question. 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.”
Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre warms up before a game between the Southern Miss Golden Eagles and the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at M. M. Roberts Stadium. Favre played for Southern Miss. (Chuck Cook/USA Today Sports)
At the center of Favre’s alleged involvement in the case is a new volleyball wellness center at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM).
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Favre, who helped raise money for the USM facility, has denied knowing that a $5 million grant for the volleyball facility came from a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) welfare fund through the Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC).
TANF funds are not allowed for “brick and mortar” construction projects.
Favre received $1.1 million for fundraising, which he reportedly gave to the university to assist in building the volleyball center.
Favre has returned the $1.1 million but has yet to pay back the interest, which is why the state is suing him.
Favre has denied knowing that funds designated for welfare recipients were going to the university or to him, and he has not been criminally charged.
Shannon Sharpe poses for photos on the red carpet at the NFL Honors Feb. 2, 2019, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Favre also sued Sharpe, a popular Fox Sports host, for making “egregiously false and defamatory statements” in September 2022 that Favre was a “sorry mofo to steal from the lowest of the low,” that Favre was “taking from the underserved [in Mississippi],” and that the Hall of Fame quarterback “stole money from people that really needed that money.”
According to the suit, Favre’s counsel demanded that Sharpe retract and apologize for his statement. Sharpe refused.
Pat McAfee speaks during his show on Media Row for Super Bowl LVI at the Los Angeles Convention Center Feb. 10, 2022, in Los Angeles. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
In a separate complaint, Favre sued McAfee, who is the host of the popular sports podcast, “The Pat McAfee Show.”
The complaint alleges McAfee said Favre was a “thief” who was “stealing from poor people in Mississippi.” He is also accused of making similar statements on Twitter.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Sharpe and McAfee for comment.
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