- Brett Favre suing Shannon Sharpe, Pat McAfee claiming defamation over Mississippi welfare scandal, per report CBS Sports
- Brett Favre sues Auditor Shad White, national media figures for defamation regarding welfare scandal WJTV 12 News
- Pat McAfee not shying away from legal battle with Brett Favre: ‘Let’s ride this f—er’ Fox News
- Brett Favre sues Shannon Sharpe, Pat McAfee for alleged defamation over Mississippi welfare case Yahoo Sports
- POLLOCK’S NEWS UPDATE: Changes to UFC contracts, Pat McAfee sued by Brett Favre POST Wrestling
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Tag Archives: Favre
SiriusXM and ESPN Milwaukee suspend Brett Favre programming as welfare scandal intensifies
Two of Brett Favre’s weekly shows have reportedly been suspended due to the former quarterback’s alleged entanglement in a welfare fraud case unfolding in Mississippi.
ESPN Milwaukee paused “The Brett Favre Show” podcast last week, a spokesperson confirmed with CBS MoneyWatch. ESPN Milwaukee is owned by Wisconsin-based Good Karma Brands and not the Disney-owned sports programming network. SiriusXM also suspended its weekly radio show hosted by Favre, The Athletic tweeted Sunday.
SiriusXM didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Monday.
Favre’s lawyer Paul “Bud” Holmes also didn’t respond to a request for comment.
The suspensions come months after Favre was mentioned in an audit of Mississippi’s state budget. An auditor found state officials redirected more than $70 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families welfare funds last year to Favre and other individuals instead of giving the money to low-income families. State officials, more specifically, used a nonprofit organization to funnel $1.1 million to Favre as a stipend to perform speeches that he never gave, Mississippi auditor Shad White found.
In an October 2021 Facebook post, Favre said he has started repaying the money to the state. Favre also said in the post that he didn’t know the money came from welfare funds.
The Mississippi Department of Human Services has filed a lawsuit against Favre, three former pro wrestlers and several other people and businesses to try to recover millions in welfare dollars. The lawsuit alleges that Favre, former WWE star Ted “the Million Dollar Man” DiBiase and others “squandered” more than $20 million intended for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families anti-poverty program.
Court documents related to the case show a string of text messages that suggest former Gov. Phil Bryant was “on board” with Favre getting the speech money. The text message chain was between Favre and Nancy New, the executive director of the Mississippi Community Education Center.
New and Favre discussed a payment arrangement coming from the Mississippi Department of Human Services through her nonprofit, with Favre then saying he would direct the money to the volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Favre, who played 20 seasons in the NFL, and Bryant, who left office in 2020, are both USM alums. Favre’s daughter, Breleigh, began playing volleyball at the school in 2017. His daughter was the fourth winningest beach volleyball player in USM’s history, according to Sports Illustrated. She transferred to LSU in August 2022.
Neither Favre nor Bryant have been charged in the welfare misspending case.
John Davis, who ran Mississippi’s human services department and was appointed by Bryant, pleaded guilty last week on federal conspiracy charges of misspending tens of millions of dollars. Davis, who was the human services executive director from February 2016 through July 2019, will be sentenced next year.
Brett Favre and the Mississippi welfare scandal that keeps growing
Mississippi’s widening welfare scandal involves tens of millions of dollars and has embroiled the state’s former governor, Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre and professional wrestlers, among others. Organizations such as Operation Shoestring, and the at-risk populations that rely on those funds, continue to feel the sting.
As Langford tried to renew the funding in 2018, the state officials tasked with distributing the money were found to be funneling millions away from those it was intended for. The scandal’s impact will be felt for years, advocates say.
“It makes my blood boil,” Langford said. “We’re talking about funds that were supposed to be used to help move people out of poverty in the poorest state instead becoming literal currency for favors, both political and financial for people. It’s amazing.”
The details of the scandal continue to emerge in court filings and reporting by nonprofit news organization Mississippi Today. Last week, John Davis, the former executive director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, pleaded guilty to two federal charges and 18 state counts of embezzling federal welfare funds. The U.S. Justice Department said Davis misused the money and helped create “sham contracts … knowing that no significant services would be provided.”
His plea has spurred speculation that Favre and others could be further implicated. Favre received $1.1 million intended for welfare recipients in exchange for speeches and appearances the state auditor says he never made. And text messages included in court filings show Favre was heavily involved in discussions that resulted in $5 million in welfare money going toward the construction of a volleyball facility at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter played volleyball.
Favre is among the subjects of a civil suit filed by the state of Mississippi but hasn’t been charged criminally. He has denied any wrongdoing and returned $1.1 million to the state. His attorney, Bud Holmes, declined to comment on whether Davis’s plea deal might impact the former quarterback. “There’s no point in speculating,” Holmes said.
While Favre, 52, has been linked to just a small fraction of the government money alleged to have been misused by state officials, he has emerged as a public face of the scandal. He earned some $140 million during his 20-year NFL career and millions more in endorsement deals.
But many in Mississippi stress that attention shouldn’t be focused solely on the former quarterback. According to the U.S. Census, one in five people in Mississippi lives in poverty — the worst rate in the nation — including 28 percent of children. The federal government gives money to states to distribute to needy populations through its Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, but even before the scandal came to light, Mississippians have struggled to access money.
“Less than 1 percent of families in Mississippi receive TANF that are eligible, and that is because for years families have found it to be an inhumane process that is just not worth it,” said Aisha Nyandoro, the chief executive of Springboard To Opportunities, a nonprofit that works with Mississippi families in need. “They make it so incredibly difficult for families that need these resources to get it. But then others who don’t need it can just send a text message and money magically appears in their bank account.”
A Mississippi state audit in 2020 found more than $94 million in federal welfare funds that had been subject to suspect spending. An independent audit a year later confirmed most of the findings and, hampered by a lack of cooperation, said it was unable to discern whether nearly $77 million in spending was permissible.
“To change the narrative, we have to change the narrator. It is less about Brett Favre and this volleyball stadium. That becomes sensationalism,” Nyandoro said. “You can hide behind something like that and not recognize there are real victims, there are people that didn’t receive the money they needed to get their car fixed, to get a job; moms who couldn’t get diapers. What good could have been done in Mississippi with this $94 million? How many families could’ve been impacted?”
Despite widespread poverty across the state, court filings describe a corrupt system in which state officials directed welfare money to programs, people and projects that had little interest in helping the state’s most vulnerable.
Recent court filings have suggested Favre continually pressed state officials for money to pay for the volleyball facility. “We obviously need your help big time and time is working against us,” Favre texted Gov. Phil Bryant (R) on Sept. 4, 2019. “And we feel that your name is the perfect choice for this facility and we are not taking No for an answer!”
“We are going to get there,” the then-governor responded. “This was a great meeting. But we have to follow the law. I am [too] old for Federal Prison.”
Favre previously told Mississippi Today that he had not discussed the volleyball facility project with Bryant.
The latest texts were included in a filing made Friday by Bryant, who revealed some communications as he argued against a subpoena seeking access to more of his records. The former governor also shared texts he had exchanged with Rodney Bennett, former president of University of Southern Mississippi. In January 2020, shortly after Bryant had left office, Bennett texted him that he had “asked Brett not to do the things he’s doing to seek funding from state agencies and the legislature for the volleyball facility.”
“As you know, [Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning] has a process of how we request and get approval for projects and what he’s doing is outside those guidelines. I will see, for the ‘umpteenth time’ if we can get him to stand down,” Bennett wrote. “The bottom line is he personally guaranteed the project, and on his word and handshake we proceeded. It’s time for him to pay up — it really is just that simple.”
“Maybe he wants the State to pay off his promises,” Bryant responded. “Like all of us I like Brett. He is a legend but he has to understand what a pledge means. I have tried many time[s] to explain that to him.”
According to the latest court filing, Favre had previously texted Bryant in July 2019: “I have to come up with a lot of money if this doesn’t get clearance.”
The money for the volleyball facility was channeled through a nonprofit called Mississippi Community Education Center. Nancy New and her son, Zach, ran the organization, have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with investigators.
Favre tweeted in May 2020 that he had “never received monies for obligations I didn’t meet” and “was unaware that the money being dispersed was paid for out of funds not intended for that purpose.” But court filings suggest he had at least some awareness of where the money was coming from. Favre texted Bryant in July 2019, court records show, expressing hope that Nancy New also could help fund an indoor football facility, giving the school’s program “instant credibility.”
Bryant responded via text message, according to the filing, telling Favre that “Nancy has some limited control over Federal Funds in the form of Grants for Children and adults in the Low Income Community” and “any improper use could result in violation of Federal Law.”
As the scandal continues to unspool, the people at the heart of it hope for more accountability and corrective measures, even if it requires federal intervention to fix a system that failed Mississippi’s poor long before Favre started pushing the volleyball facility.
“There’s a sense that this is not a surprise,” Operation Shoestring’s Langford said. “It’s terrible, but it’s not a surprise. The deck has been stacked against low-income folks in Mississippi for generations. The scale of this is really extraordinary. Fundamentally, this is part of a long tradition of in some sense continuing to victimize people who have not been dealt a fair hand in generations.”
Brett Favre continued to pressure for volleyball facility funding even after being told it was possibly illegal, according to new filing
The funding of the facility at Favre’s alma mater was part of an investigation into millions of dollars of misspent public welfare funds within the Mississippi Department of Human Services, which investigators say were directed toward leadership members’ personal use and granted to prominent Mississippians like Favre, whose daughter played volleyball at the university at the time.
While Favre has not been charged criminally in the massive welfare fraud scheme, he is a defendant in a civil suit brought by the state against more than 35 people and entities in an effort to recover some of the funds.
The new documents filed Friday in Hind County District Court by Bryant’s attorney show Favre texted Bryant numerous times asking if the funding for the volleyball complex would be secured. Favre also texted Bryant in July 2019 about funding for a high-quality football facility to attract better recruits, the filing notes.
“Use of these funds [is] tightly controlled. Any improper use could result in violation of Federal Law,” Bryant texted to Favre on July 28, 2019, according to the filing.
“As soon as we get approval we can move forward. Without that approval any expenditure could be illegal and Nancy and USM could be made to repay the Federal Government any and all funds spent,” the then-governor added, according to the filing.
Favre, however, continued to press the governor, texting him again on September 4, 2019, about the need for funding for the facility on the university’s Hattiesburg campus.
“We obviously need your help big time and time is working against us. And we feel that your name is the perfect choice for this facility, and we are not taking No for an answer! You are a Southern Miss Alumni, and folks need to know you are also a supporter of the University,” Favre texted the governor, according to the filing.
Bryant responded, “We are going to get there. This was a great meeting. But we have to follow the law. I am to[o] old for Federal Prison. [smiley face, sunglasses emoji],” according to the filing.
Bryant’s attorney argued in the filing the then-governor continuously pushed back on Favre’s requests. Bryant is not named in the civil lawsuit and has not been criminally charged in relation to the welfare scheme.
CNN has reached out to Favre’s attorney about the most recent filing Sunday afternoon but did not receive a response. Last week, the former quarterback’s attorney told CNN Favre, who retired after the 2010 season and a 20-year NFL career, did not know welfare funds were being used for the volleyball center and his fundraising efforts for the facility were honorable.
Non-profit founder texts she was ‘on board’ with helping Favre
In addition to texts between Favre and Bryant, the filing also shows Favre’s text communications with Nancy New, founder of one of the nonprofits investigators said received some of the misspent funds, the Mississippi Community Education Center.
According to the court filing, in a May 2019 text message obtained by Mississippi Today, New told Favre she was “on board” with satisfying Favre’s volleyball facility debt with funds from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a state welfare program, and New had discussed the idea with former Department of Human Services Director John Davis.
New and her son have been convicted for their roles in the scheme which directed funds to the volleyball center. Davis also pleaded guilty Thursday to state and federal charges in connection with the vast fraud scheme.
Bryant’s attorneys argued text exchanges between Bryant and Favre showed “Governor Bryant did not know what had previously transpired between New, Davis, and Favre regarding the funding of the USM Volleyball Center” before Favre mentioned their involvement in July 2019.
According to the filing, Bryant was the whistleblower responsible for the state auditor’s investigation into the fraud occurring at MDHS, which ultimately revealed $94 million of mishandled and questionably handled funds under Davis’ purview, CNN previously reported.
The state auditor has said about $77 million of the misspent funds was money intended for the state welfare program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
CNN’s Eric Levenson, Devon M. Sayers and Dianne Gallagher contributed to this report.
Mississippi welfare scheme: Former state official pleads guilty in scheme where money was funneled to prominent Mississippians including Brett Favre
Officials from the US Department of Justice and the Hinds County District Attorney Office announced the one-time head of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, John Davis, had pleaded guilty to two federal counts and 18 state counts.
The DOJ said Davis and “his co-conspirators” used federal funds “for their personal use and benefit.”
“At Davis’s direction, MDHS provided federal funds to two nonprofit organizations and then directed the two nonprofit organizations to fraudulently award contracts to various entities and individuals for social services that were never provided,” federal prosecutors said in a news release.
On Thursday, the former state official pleaded guilty to two federal charges: one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, the DOJ announced. He could be sentenced to up to five years in prison on the conspiracy count and 10 years on the theft count.
Davis also pleaded guilty to five counts of conspiracy and 13 counts of fraud in Hinds County, District Attorney Jody E. Owens said in a tweet Thursday.
“Davis was one of six Defendants arrested and later indicted in 2020 in one of the largest embezzlement schemes in Mississippi history,” Owens said.
Auditor says $77 million in funds were intended for welfare program
The vast fraud scheme was uncovered in 2020 by a state audit of federal funds allocated to state agencies. When State Auditor Shad White announced the finding, he called the scheme “the most egregious misspending my staff have seen in their careers.”
The eight-month long investigation showed that the department gave more than $98 million to two non-profits: The Mississippi Community Education Center and the Family Resource Center of North Mississippi. Of the $98 million, $94 million was “questioned,” meaning it was either definitively misspent or auditors were unable to determine whether it was legally spent.
The state auditor has said around $77 million of money was intended for a state welfare program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
Last week White told CNN, “I think what you had was a lot of money being pushed through a state agency that decided to then funnel that money to a nonprofit. There just were not a ton of checks on how that nonprofit was spending this money until the auditor’s office started digging into it.
“And then, you know, going another step forward into the future, I think that it’s important that we show the public that there are going to be consequences for this.”
Favre’s alma mater got new volleyball arena
According to investigators, more than $4 million was used to a build a Brett Favre-backed volleyball center at the University of Southern Mississippi, Favre’s alma mater, and where his daughter played the sport at the time.
The state of Mississippi filed a civil suit against more than 35 people and entities, including Pro Football Hall of Famer, earlier this year.
Text messages were released last week as part of that civil suit by attorneys for the non-profit founded by Nancy New, who has already pleaded guilty to charges related to the welfare funds scheme. They showed Favre discussing getting money through New’s nonprofit and expressing his love for Davis after being told of the funding, as well as meetings with Davis and former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant about the funding.
Bryant and Favre have not been criminally charged with any wrongdoing at this time. Bryant is also not named as a defendant in the civil suit.
The former quarterback’s attorney told CNN that Favre, who retired after the 2010 season and a 20-year NFL career, did not know welfare funds were being used for the volleyball center and that his fundraising efforts for the volleyball center were honorable.
CNN’s Eric Levenson and Devon Sayers contributed to this report.
Phil Bryant helped Brett Favre get welfare funds for volleyball stadium
The texts allegedly show Favre, New and Bryant conferring on how to divert at least $5 million for a volleyball stadium at Southern Miss, where Favre played college football and his daughter played volleyball at the time some texts were sent.
“If you were to pay me is there anyway the media can find out where it came from and how much?” a text showed Favre asked New in 2017. She replied that “we never have that information publicized” and told him the next day, “Wow, just got off the phone with Phil Bryant! He is on board with us! We will get this done!”
In a July 2019 text, Bryant told New that he had just met with Favre and asked if she could help him.
An attorney for Favre denied that his client knew he had received welfare funds. “Brett Favre has been honorable throughout this whole thing,” Bud Holmes told Mississippi Today. In 2020, Favre told the outlet that he had not discussed the stadium, which is not part of the state’s lawsuit, with Bryant.
Favre and Bryant, who left office in January 2020, have not been criminally charged, and Bryant did not address the texts in a statement to Mississippi Today. In it, he accused New’s defense team of being “more concerned with pretrial publicity than they are with civil justice.” The motion filed by New is the defendants’ first direct and public accusation of wrongdoing by Bryant.
Favre last year repaid the state $600,000 he had received for speeches he never gave as part of a $1.1 million deal he made in 2017 and 2018 to promote a poverty-fighting initiative. The state auditor reported that he initially repaid $500,000 and in May the Mississippi Department of Human Services filed a lawsuit against Favre, saying interest on the $1.1 million amounted to $228,000.
States are prohibited from using money from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program on “brick and mortar” buildings and the effort to circumvent federal regulations to build the volleyball stadium has already resulted in a criminal conviction.
Zach New, Nancy New’s son, admitted in an April plea agreement to defrauding the government when he participated in a scheme “to disguise the USM construction project as a ‘lease’ as a means of circumventing the limited purpose grant’s strict prohibition against ‘brick and mortar’ construction projects in violation of Miss. Code Ann. 97-7-10.”
Favre briefly was questioned more than two years ago by the FBI, Mississippi Today reported last week. Holmes told the outlet that Favre was asked one question and he believes Favre has not been interviewed since. Mississippi Community Education Center hired Favre Enterprises in 2017 and 2018 to make appearances to promote Families First for Mississippi, a program designed to help needy families, and Favre was a no-show for those.
In 2020, the former NFL quarterback denied that he had “received monies for obligations I didn’t meet,” saying, “I love Mississippi and I would never knowingly do anything to take away from those that need it most.”
Mississippi had the highest poverty rate in the nation, with 20.3 percent living below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. The U.S. poverty rate nationally is 13.4 percent.
Brett Favre was aided by Phil Bryant to get funding for USM volleyball stadium, texts reveal
The Brett Favre-Mississippi welfare scandal reached new heights on Monday with released text messages once again linking Favre to the misuse of the state’s welfare funds for a volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Favre is accused of attempting to funnel $5million into the new complex built at his alma mater of Southern Miss, where his daughter was playing volleyball in 2018 in collaboration with former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and Nancy New.
Mississippi Today’s Anna Wolfe revealed alleged text messages shared by the attorney of New, a nonprofit founder who has pled guilty for federal wire fraud relating to a widespread $77million misuse of funds from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
The texts reportedly show Bryant guiding Favre on how to write a funding proposal that would be accepted by the Mississippi Department of Human Service.
One of the text messages show former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, asking New, who has since pleaded guilty to a litany of state and federal charges over the scheme, for assistance as it pertained to Favre and his ‘project.’
‘Just left Brett Favre,’ Bryant texted New in July, 2019. ‘Can we help him with his project. We should meet soon to see how I can make sure we keep your projects on course.’
When Favre asked Bryant how the new agency director might affect their plans to fund the volleyball stadium, Bryant assured him: ‘I will handle that… long story but had to make a change. But I will call Nancy and see what it will take.’
According to the report, involved parties managed to find a loophole regarding the expenditure of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds, in which the Mississippi Department of Human Services put forth $4m toward the facility upgrade.
Favre has reportedly been questioned by the FBI over a $1.1million payment made to him.
Brett Favre has been accused of getting welfare money to build a college volleyball facility
The text messages also show Favre asking New, in August 2017: ‘Is there anyway the media can find out where it came from and how much?’
New rejected these claims in a follow-up text. She is said to be assisting prosecutors in the civil case as part of her plea deal, according to Mississippi Today.
Favre has reportedly been questioned by the FBI for his alleged involvement in the welfare fraud case.
He was paid $1.1million for promoting the volleyball initiative and in a text to New — according to Wolfe — said he ‘could record a few radio spots’ and ‘whatever compensation could go to USM.’
Favre is an NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl winner in 1998 (pictured) with the Packers
The Green Bay Packers legend, 52, who has not been accused of a crime, was said to have been paid the cash in 2017 and 2018, as part of the wider $70million scandal – along with a professional wrestler, a horse farm and the aforementioned volleyball complex.
NBC News reported that Favre, who has since given back the $1.1m but not the $228,000 in interest being demanded by a Mississippi state auditor, has indeed spoken to FBI regarding the case.
Favre has previously defended himself on social media, posting in October 2021 that he was unaware where the money had come from, and that he believed he was being paid for taking part in three years of commercials.
It is alleged that the money paid to Favre came from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) welfare fund, and came at the direction of former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant. Bryant has also denied knowing the cash came from welfare money.
Favre has paid back the $1.1m and claims he believed the money was for commercials he was in
Speaking on Twitter, Favre said last year: ‘I am doing all that I can to support this investigation to make things right for the people of Mississippi and I have shared all that I know, which is that I was paid for three years of commercials that I did, and I paid taxes on the money, as I should.
‘Of course the money was returned because I would never knowingly take funds meant to help our neighbors in need, but for Shad White to continue to push out this lie that the money was for no-show events is something I cannot stay silent about.’
Shad White is the state auditor who first discovered the misspending and fraud, according to the report.
In late July, a Mississippi state lawyer was fired after issuing a subpoena to see whether ex-NFL star Brett Favre faked a $5million donation relating to the 2018 construction of USM’s volleyball arena.
Part of the subpoena Pigott filed looked into a $5million check that went toward the facility.
Pigott told the New York Times that Favre had agreed to donate $5million for the building’s construction.
But the investigator – a former federal prosecutor – claims Favre instead asked for the $5million to be paid from the Mississippi Community Education Center, which was caught for misusing welfare funds in April.
Favre is a Super Bowl champion and three-time NFL MVP who played for the Falcons, Packers, Jets and Vikings, but is most famous for his 15 years as quarterback in Green Bay.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
Former Mississippi governor helped Brett Favre obtain welfare funds for university volleyball stadium, texts show
An investigative report by Mississippi Today revealed Tuesday that former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant helped former NFL quarterback Brett Favre obtain welfare funds in order to help build a new volleyball center at the University of Southern Mississippi.
The news organization reviewed text messages from 2017 and 2019 that were filed Monday in the state of Mississippi’s civil lawsuit over misspent welfare funds. The texts were filed by an attorney representing Nancy New, who has already pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts of bribery, fraud and racketeering for her role in the welfare scheme. New was the founder of the Mississippi Community Education Center, which was tasked with spending tens of millions in federal welfare funds to help the state.
State auditors determined nonprofit leaders misspent at least $77 million in welfare funds in the largest case of public fraud in Mississippi history.
The texts show Favre, New and Bryant discussing how to divert at least $5 million in welfare funds to build a volleyball stadium at Southern Miss. Favre played football at Southern Miss, and his daughter was a volleyball player there at the time some of the texts were sent.
“If you were to pay me is there anyway the media can find out where it came from and how much?” Favre asked New in 2017.
After telling Favre that “we never have that information publicized,” she circled back to him the next day.
“Wow, just got off the phone with Phil Bryant! He is on board with us! We will get this done!” New told Favre.
In another text sent in July 2019, Bryant told New he had just finished meeting with Favre and asked her if they could help him with his project.
Favre’s attorney, Bud Holmes, denied to Mississippi Today that the former quarterback knew he received welfare funds.
“Brett Favre has been honorable throughout this whole thing,” Holmes told the news organization.
Favre had told the outlet in 2020 that he had not discussed the volleyball stadium project with Bryant.
Bryant, who left office in January 2020, has long denied helping direct welfare funds to the stadium project, and he did not address the texts in a statement to Mississippi Today that accused New’s defense team of being “more concerned with pretrial publicity than they are with civil justice.”
Mississippi Today reported that the volleyball stadium is not part of the state’s civil lawsuit. Favre and Bryant have not been criminally charged.
Last year, Favre paid back $600,000 to the state of Mississippi, an amount he had been paid for speeches he never gave. Favre was commissioned in 2017 and 2018 to promote a state poverty-fighting initiative, receiving $1.1 million. The state auditor’s office reported that he initially gave back $500,000 of the amount, but earlier this month, Favre was asked in a letter to repay the remainder plus interest.
Then, in May, the Mississippi Department of Human Services filed a civil lawsuit against Favre because he had not paid back interest on the $1.1 million that amounted to $228,000.
According to the text messages in the filing obtained by Mississippi Today, the $1.1 million deal with the state was another means of funding the volleyball stadium project.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Packers beat Browns as Rodgers passes Favre for Green Bay TD record
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Rasul Douglas and the Green Bay Packers’ pass defense didn’t let the Cleveland Browns spoil Aaron Rodgers’ milestone day.
Rodgers surpassed Brett Favre to become Green Bay’s all-time leader in touchdown passes, and the Packers intercepted Baker Mayfield four times in a 24-22 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday. Cleveland nearly came all the way back from a 12-point second-half deficit before Douglas’ second interception of the day sealed the game with 43 seconds left.
“We’ve got to do a better job of closing games out,” Rodgers said. “Our defense has closed out a lot of games, the last two weeks stopping that 2-point conversion (in a 31-30 victory at Baltimore) and Rasul coming up with that big pick. It’s nerve racking, but winning is difficult in this league.”
Rodgers went 24 of 34 for 202 yards with three touchdown passes to increase his career total to 445. Favre threw 508 touchdown passes during his Hall of Fame career, 442 of them with Green Bay.
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But it was Green Bay’s defense that clinched this victory by sacking Mayfield five times and forcing him into his first career four-interception performance. All three touchdowns by the Packers (12-3) came after Mayfield interceptions.
Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers warms up before an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021, in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
(Associated Press)
“It was just missed throws,” Mayfield said. “Uncharacteristic, and I hurt this team. That’s the most frustrating thing for me, because I thought our defense played tremendous against a really, really good offense. But when you turn the ball over on your own territory, in the red zone and around midfield and give them extra opportunities, they’re going to take advantage of it.”
Mayfield was 21 of 36 for 222 yards with two touchdowns as well as those four picks in his return from the reserve/COVID-19 list, which caused him to miss a 16-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday.
Nick Chubb ran for 126 yards and a touchdown to lead the Browns’ 219-yard rushing effort that kept them in the game.
The Browns (7-8) trailed 24-22 and had third-and-10 at the 50 when Douglas picked off Mayfield’s pass intended for Donovan Peoples-Jones at the 40.
Since getting signed off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad in early October, Douglas has a team-high five interceptions. He had a game-clinching interception in the final minute of a victory at Arizona earlier this season.
“Coaches told me as long as I keep catching them, they’ll keep coming,” Douglas said. “I’m just trying to catch them when they come.”
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) is lifted up by guard Lucas Patrick (62) after setting the franchise record for most passing TDs in the first quarter during the game against the Cleveland Browns at Lambeau Field.
(Benny Sieu-USA Today Sports)
Darnell Savage and Chandon Sullivan also had interceptions. Rashan Gary had two of the Packers’ five sacks against the Browns, whose offensive line was decimated with left tackle Jedrick Wills and center JC Tretter both on the COVID-19 list.
Until the Browns produced their second-half threat, the day belonged to Rodgers, who broke Favre’s record by throwing an 11-yard TD pass to Allen Lazard in the first quarter.
“Aaron breaks so many records,” Lazard said. “Literally every week it’s almost like I get on Instagram Monday morning and someone’s always posting some new record that Aaron’s breaking. For us, in a sense, it’s another day at the office. Obviously this one’s a bigger milestone in that sense.”
“Aaron breaks so many records. Literally every week it’s almost like I get on Instagram Monday morning and someone’s always posting some new record that Aaron’s breaking.”
Rodgers spent his first three NFL seasons backing up Favre before taking over in 2008. Favre sent a message to Rodgers in a video that aired on the Lambeau Field scoreboard after the record-breaking touchdown pass.
“Hey, 12, congratulations, man, on passing my touchdown record,” Favre said. “I have one request. Go get us another Super Bowl. Congrats.”
“Definitely got me a little teary-eyed on the bench,” said Rodgers, who saluted the Lambeau Field crowd that gave him a hearty ovation. “A moment I’ll never forget, for sure. I’m thankful for Favre’s message, for the response from the guys and the crowd obviously was really special.”
Rodgers later threw two touchdown passes to Davante Adams, who had 10 catches for 114 yards. Adams has caught at least 10 passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns in eight career games, the most of anyone in NFL history.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) celebrates with wide receiver Allen Lazard (13) after setting the franchise record for most passing TDs in the first quarter during the game against the Cleveland Browns at Lambeau Field.
(Benny Sieu-USA Today Sports)
Adams has caught 67 touchdown passes from Rodgers, giving them the franchise record for touchdown pass combinations. Rodgers threw 65 touchdown passes to former Packers receiver Jordy Nelson.
“When you start stacking up the numbers for Davante, it’s mind blowing,” Rodgers said. “I really feel like he’s the best player that I’ve played with.”
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The Packers already have clinched the NFC North title and are seeking the conference’s top playoff seed as they chase their first Super Bowl berth since their 2010 championship season. They have lost in the NFC championship game each of the last two seasons.
INJURED
Rodgers went to the locker room late in the first half after aggravating his toe injury but didn’t miss a down. Rodgers has been playing with a fractured left pinky toe. … Packers DL Tyler Lancaster left in the fourth quarter.
UP NEXT
Browns: visit the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 3.
Packers: host the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 2 in their regular-season home finale.
Brett Favre repays $600k to Mississippi, still owes over $200k in interest
NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre has repaid $600,000 to the state of Mississippi that were part of funds paid to him from state welfare money for no-show speaking appearances.
Via Emily Wagster Pettus of the Associated Press, Mississippi state auditor Shad White confirmed Favre had repaid the $600,000 but said an additional $228,000 in interest remains outstanding.
“If he does not pay that within 30 days of our demand, the AG will be responsible for enforcing the payment of the interest in court,” White said.
Favre was paid $1.1 million by the state “for appearances, promotions, autographs and speaking engagements.” However, Favre did not speak and wasn’t even present at the events in question for which he was paid.
Favre initially repaid $500,000 in May 2020 with a commitment to pay the remaining amount in installments in the following months. It’s taken over a year for Favre to get the rest of the initial $1.1 million paid back to the state.
The state may ultimately decided it’s not worth pursuing Favre over the interest with the initial payment amount now returned in full. Favre is not facing any criminal charges for receiving the funds.