Brett Favre is claiming he’s been ‘unjustly smeared in the media’ over his connection to a $77 million federal welfare scam in his home state of Mississippi.
‘I have done nothing wrong, and it is past time to set the record straight,’ Favre told Fox News in a statement, breaking months of silence on the issue.
The Green Bay Packers legend has not been charged in the case, which has already resulted in several guilty pleas, but did receive $1.1 million in welfare money for no-show speaking gigs. He has since repaid that amount, but has thus far refused to pay $228,000 interest being charged to him by the state.
As a result, Favre is among 38 individuals or organizations being sued by the state to recoup $24 million if the $77 million in federal welfare money, according to Mississippi Today.
Furthermore, recently surfaced text messages from 2017 revealed his efforts to divert $5 million in welfare to a new volleyball arena for the University of Southern Mississippi, his alma mater, where his daughter was playing the sport at the time. In one message, Favre wonders: ‘Is there anyway (sic) the media can find out where [the money] came from and how much?’
But in his statement to Fox News, Favre denied knowing the source of the funding.
‘No one ever told me, and I did not know, that funds designated for welfare recipients were going to the University or me,’ Favre said. ‘I tried to help my alma mater USM, a public Mississippi state university, raise funds for a wellness center. My…