Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, who is currently embroiled in a $77 million Mississippi state welfare fund scandal, issued his first statement about the scandal on Tuesday. In it, he claims that he is innocent of any crimes and looks forward to clearing his name.
“I have been unjustly smeared in the media,” Favre said in a statement provided exclusively to Fox News Digital. “I have done nothing wrong, and it is past time to set the record straight.
“No one ever told me, and I did not know, that funds designated for welfare recipients were going to the University or me. 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.
“State agencies provided the funds to Nancy New’s charity, the Mississippi Community Education Center, which then gave the funds to the University, all with the full knowledge and approval of other State agencies, including the State-wide Institute for Higher Learning, the Governor’s office and the Attorney General’s office.
“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.”
Brett Favre Invovled in $77 Million Mississippi Welfare Scandal
When Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Brett Favre got involved in a $77 million welfare scandal, people took notice. Mr. Favre is being civilly, not criminally charged. The civil lawsuit is seeking the return of $20 million for the misuse of state funds. Mr. Favre denies knowledge of any misuse, but text messages are not looking too good right now.
Brett Favre created a foundation to help charities provide support to disabled children and breast cancer patients. Okay, good cause. But, things got sketchy when subpoenaed texts dating back to 2017 were made public.
The first series of texts which caused alarm were from former Governor Phil Bryant, when he told Brett Favre he was “on board” with the arrangement. The arrangement was to funnel $5 million from the state’s welfare account to build a volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi. Mr. Favre’s daughter played volleyball at the school. Mr. Favre also acquired $3.2 million for a drug company in which he had made an investment.
Financial Effects Of The State’s Loss Of Funds
A state audit two years ago revealed surprising results which led to the indictments of six people. Besides Brett Favre, two other highly public figures are under investigation, John Davis and Nancy New. Mr. Davis was the former welfare director, and Ms. New was the non-profit director.
Audit results detailed that instead of using welfare money to help the poor, $2.15 million was used by Ms. New for an investment in a medical device company. Former NFL player Paul Lacoste received $1.3 million for operating a fitness boot camp; in addition, he took lawmakers and other professionals out to eat at high-end steakhouses. Mr. Favre received $1.1 million to speak at events he never showed up for. Two lesser known people received a six-figure sum which for one of them, was used to pay a $9500 monthly mortgage.
One of the key texts against Mr. Favre is when he asked Ms. New, “If you were to pay me is there anyway the media can find out where it came from and how much?” She told him it would not be made public.
The US government has spent $1.3 trillion in welfare in 2022. The loss of funds in Mississippi has a much bigger effect on the economy than simply calling it a wash and forgetting about it.
According to the most recent census results, Mississippi spends more on welfare than any other publicly operated budget – even education, re-emphasizing the serious nature of this welfare scandal.
