Former NFL star Brett Favre says he has been unjustly accused of wrongdoing in a welfare scandal in his dwelling state of Mississippi.
“I’ve been unjustly smeared within the media,” the Corridor of Fame quarterback stated within the assertion to Fox Information on Tuesday. “I’ve carried out nothing fallacious, and it’s previous time to set the file straight.
“Nobody ever informed me, and I didn’t know, that funds designated for welfare recipients had been going to the College or me. I attempted to assist my alma mater USM [University of Southern Mississippi], a public Mississippi state college, increase funds for a wellness middle. My objective was and all the time will likely be to enhance the athletic amenities at my college.”
In Might, the Mississippi Division of Human Providers filed a civil lawsuit towards Favre, three former professional wrestlers and a number of other different folks and companies to attempt to recuperate tens of millions of misspent welfare {dollars}. The lawsuit stated the defendants “squandered” greater than $20m from the Short-term Help for Needy Households (TANF) anti-poverty program.
Favre has not been charged with any felony wrongdoing within the case. Mississippi auditor Shad White stated Favre was paid $1.1m for speeches however didn’t present up. Favre has repaid the cash, however White stated in October that Favre nonetheless owed $228,000 in curiosity. In a Fb put up when he repaid the primary $500,000, Favre stated he didn’t know the cash he acquired got here from welfare funds.
The audit additionally confirmed that $5m in TANF cash had finally ended up at USM, the place Favre was as soon as a star quarterback and the place his daughter was on the volleyball crew from 2017. Texts have proven Favre lobbying for funds for a volleyball area at USM when his daughter was on the crew.
“State businesses offered the funds to Nancy New’s charity, the Mississippi Neighborhood Schooling Middle, which then gave the funds to the College, all with the complete information and approval of different State businesses,” Favre stated in Tuesday’s assertion, “together with the State-wide Institute for Larger Studying, the Governor’s workplace and the Legal professional Basic’s workplace.”
“I used to be informed that the authorized work to make sure that these funds might be accepted by the college was carried out by State attorneys and State workers.”