Brett Favre Files Defamation Lawsuits Against Pat McAfee & Shannon Sharpe

Former NFL player and Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre has filed three defamation lawsuits this week against state auditor Shad White and sports broadcasters and former NFL players Shannon Sharpe and Pat McAfee, reports ESPN. Favre was recently implicated in a welfare fraud scandal in his home state of Mississippi involving misappropriated funds that were meant to go to the Mississippi Department of Human Services, but instead reportedly went to the construction of a volleyball stadium at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi. He also was reportedly paid $1.1 million for speeches on behalf of the state's health department but is said to have not appeared for these engagements (via PBS).

The scandal Favre become involved in is the largest welfare fraud scandal in Mississippi's state history. The former football player has not been criminally charged. Favre is now firing back against White, whose office discovered the fraudulent spending, which led to criminal charges being filed against six individuals, with Favre not being one of them.

ESPN reports that Favre's lawsuit states, "White has made egregiously false and defamatory statements accusing Favre of 'stealing taxpayer funds' and knowingly misusing funds 'designed to serve poor folks."

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Responding to the lawsuit, a spokesman for White's State Auditor's office, Fletcher Freeman, said "Everything Auditor White has said about this case is true and is backed by years of audit work by the professionals at the Office of the State Auditor."

In 2020, the office of Auditor White discovered that $77 million in public money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Family funds, which was earmarked for the neediest families in the state, instead went to the richest and most powerful residents in the state of Mississippi. A state audit and civil lawsuit named Favre and many others as defendants, where Favre was paid $1.1 million in TANF funds for speeches White's office claims Favre never made. Favre reportedly did pay that money back, but the office requested Favre to also pay $228,000 in interest.

With regards to the volleyball stadium, text messages show that Favre pushed for state officials to fund a new volleyball facility on the University of Southern Mississippi's campus while his daughter was on the team.

Freeman also added that Favre would be "better off fully replaying the amount of welfare funds he owes the state" rather than New York litigators trying his defamation case against White. Meanwhile, Favre's lawyers are claiming they have seen "no records indicating Mr. Favre knew" about the money being provided for speeches or for his alma mater was from the Mississippi's TANF funds.

In his separate lawsuit against Sharpe, an NFL Pro Football Hall of Famer, who currently hosts "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed" on FOX Sports 1, is being targeted in a defamation lawsuit for saying that Favre was a "sorry mofo to steal from the lowest of the low." He's also targeting Sharpe for saying that Favre "stole money from people that really needed that money."

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In his lawsuit against former NFL punter and "The Pat McAfee Show" host McAfee, Favre alleges defamation when McAfee called Favre a "thief" who was "stealing from poor people in Mississippi." The legal filing also notes McAfee making similar remarks on his Twitter account. Besides hosting his own YouTube podcast, McAfee also works as a broadcaster for "College Gameday" and WWE events.

ESPN's report also notes that tax records indicate that Favre's alma mater was the biggest recipient of his charitable donations. Additionally, the state audit revealed that Prevacus, a company that's developing a concussion drug that has Favre as the top outside investor, received funds from TANF as well.

Favre retired from the NFL in January 2011. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its 2016 induction class.

Favre's lawsuit against Sharpe, an NFL veteran of 14 seasons who now serves as co-host of Fox Sports 1's "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," alleges that Sharpe defamed Favre by saying on his broadcast that Favre was a "sorry mofo to steal from the lowest of the low," and that Favre "stole money from people that really needed that money."