(NewsSpace.com) – Brett Favre is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in NFL history. He retired from the sport in 2010, but still kept a bit of a presence, appearing in commercials and taking on projects in his home state of Mississippi. However, in 2020, an audit of the state’s welfare funds turned up evidence of fraud and misappropriation of funds. Favre was named in the case as having benefited from the scheme to the tune of more than $1 million. Though he says he has repaid the money given to him, the state is still suing him for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Favre had been trying to have a volleyball arena built at the University of Southern Mississippi, his alma mater, where his daughter played the sport. He reportedly received $1.1 million in two separate payments, one for $500,000 and one for $600,000. However, an audit later revealed the money came from the state’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) fund, a federal assistance program designed to help low-income families with financial assistance.
The Hall of Famer repaid $500,000 in 2020 and the other $600,000 the following fall. Mississippi State Auditor Shad White said Favre refused to pay interest on the money. The former quarterback sued White for defamation and was recently named in a countersuit by none other than White himself.
White said the state is seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars for the repayment of welfare funds in the lawsuit. He likened the money Favre received to a loan and said, “It boggles the mind that Mr. Favre could imagine he is entitled to the equivalent of an interest-free loan […] in taxpayer money.” He pointed out that the money was originally intended for the poor.
The amount of interest White is seeking comes to a total of $729,790: $292,790 in unpaid interest and $437,000 in unpaid principal. The case against Favre is civil in nature. He has not been charged with any crimes.
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