Brett Favre Claims He's 'Done Nothing Wrong' in Mississippi Welfare Scandal
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Brett Favre
Brett Favre is speaking out publicly for the first time about the allegations that he misused $5 million in Mississippi welfare funds to build a college volleyball stadium.
On Tuesday, the former Green Bay Packers quarterback, 53, claimed that his name has been unfairly tarnished in the press after text messages revealed that Favre and ex-Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant collaborated to funnel at least $5 million of the state's welfare funds to build the stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter played volleyball.
"I have been unjustly smeared in the media. I have done nothing wrong, and it is past time to set the record straight," he claimed to Fox News."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 [the University of Southern Mississippi], 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."
RELATED: NFL Legend Brett Favre Says He Likely Experienced 'Thousands' of Concussions Over His Career
Paul Abell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
The allegations against Favre are part of a larger ongoing scandal in Mississippi over incorrectly used welfare funds. An attorney representing nonprofit founder Nancy New, who has already pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts of bribery, fraud and racketeering for taking part in the scheme, submitted the text messages, which Mississippi Today first reported on in September.
In the released texts, Favre asks New, who is the founder of the Mississippi Community Education Center and was hired to distribute the welfare funds to help the state, "If you were to pay me is there anyway media can find out where it came from and how much?"
According to the Mississippi state auditor, NBC News reported, Favre was interviewed by the FBI in relation to allegations that Mississippi paid him $1.1 million in 2017 and 2018 to make motivational speeches that he never gave. That amount of money was also allegedly taken from federal welfare funds.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Favre reportedly repaid the speaking fees, but not an additional $228,000 in interest the Mississippi state auditor requested.
In late September, Favre was also accused of using his charity, which supports disabled children and women with breast cancer, to funnel more than $130,000 to the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation, according to tax documents obtained by ESPN and The Athletic.
Favre has not been formally charged, but six others have been criminally charged in connection with the scandal, facing allegations that in 2020, they spent $77 million from the government on pricey cars and private schools as opposed to those in need in Mississippi, per CNN.
