Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre 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.
Sharpe had accused Favre of “taking from the underserved.” He said “stole money from people that really needed that money” and said that someone would have to be a sorry person “to steal from the lowest of the low.” U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett ruled that Sharpe was using “rhetorical hyperbole,” according to NBC News.
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 from 2017 showed Favre working with then-Governor Phil Bryant, a Republican, to fund a volleyball facility at their alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, through a nonprofit. The state accused the nonprofit, known as the Mississippi Community Education Center, of using $1 million in funds aimed at assisting the poor in Mississippi to fund the facility. The state sued Favre, and the nonprofit’s director was criminally charged.
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. Mississippi Today’s 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, for which Wolfe won a Pulitzer Prize. The two, who are being sued for defamation by Bryant, say they are prepared to face prison time for their refusal to give up their sources, saying the order is a threat to journalism, according to NBC News.
“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 an addiction to painkillers. The addiction led to significant health issues, including potentially deadly seizures. He willingly entered into the league’s substance abuse program in 1996.
In 2008, Favre was back in the news when Deadspin reported that Favre sent inappropriate text messages and pictures 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.
