Update 10/11/2022 11:51am:

Former NFL player Brett Favre has been under fire after he allegedly played a role in the Mississippi welfare funds scandal. Now, Favre has addressed the allegations head-on, saying, “I have done nothing wrong.”

Favre spoke to Fox News and made it clear that he had no idea where the funds he sought out were heading. “No one ever told me, and I did not know, that funds designated for welfare recipients were going to the University or me,” said the former NFL player. 

He continued, “I tried to help my alma mater USM, a public Mississippi state university, raise funds for a wellness center. My goal was and always will be to improve the athletic facilities at my university.” Favre’s statement comes after he was accused of working with government officials to take $5 million from welfare funds in Mississippi in exchange for a venue to be built at his alma mater. At this school, his daughter reportedly played volleyball. 

Favre said, “I have been unjustly smeared in the media. I have done nothing wrong, and it is past time to set the record straight.” He denied knowing the funds designated for welfare recipients were going to him or the University, doubling down on his thoughts by saying, “I was told that the legal work to ensure that these funds could be accepted by the university was done by State attorneys and State employees.” Favre then said, “I returned all of it,” referring to the money he was paid for federal fundraising radio spots from welfare funds. 

source: Fox News

Original 04/11/2022 4:55pm:

Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre is involved in a scandal after Anna Wolfe of Mississippi Today published a new report claiming that Favre received over $8 million in funds from Mississippi officials, which was backed up with alleged texts of Favre pressuring welfare officials for the money. 

The report alleges that Favre had special access to Gov. Phil Bryant and people who controlled the state’s welfare spending, including the state’s welfare chief and a grant-funded nonprofit director. The allegations against Favre have surfaced after the former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services and five others were indicted after further investigation of misspending within the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. 

Nancy New was among those indicted, and she gave Favre $5 million in grant funds to build a volleyball stadium at his alma mater at the University of Southern Mississippi. The payment could be part of forthcoming civil litigation.

Prevacus, the pharmaceutical company backed by Favre, received $2.15 million in allegedly stolen funds from the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The report also alleges that Favre collected an additional $1.1 million welfare dollars personally. Favre has since returned the $1 million, but an auditor says he still owes $228,000 in interest on the money he improperly received. 

Texts posted by Mississippi Today allege that Favre told Prevacus owner Jake Vanlandingham to offer Gov. Bryant shares in Prevacus, but Bryant denied ever considering taking the stock. Nancy New is accused of giving the $2.15 million to Prevacus in exchange for shares of the stock. 

John Davis, the state’s then-director of Department of Human Services, has been named in the scandal, as Favre allegedly bought him a top-of-the-line Ford F-150 Raptor. Davis was arrested in 2020 on 5 counts of conspiracy, embezzlement, or fraud. 

Favre hasn't been accused of any crime, but according to the report, Current MDHS Director Bob Anderson previously stated that the department would be filing civil charges against Favre pending approval from the attorney general. 

Source: Mississippi Today