Brett Favre has asked to be removed from Mississippi’s lawsuit claiming he stole millions of dollars of welfare money. Favre, the Hall of Fame quarterback and Mississippi native, allegedly used money meant for him to give public speeches and give public radio interviews he never showed up for.
Favre also allegedly requested to use state funds to renovate Southern Miss’ volleyball arena. His daughter played for the Golden Eagles. Text messages later went public of Favre asking officials if his requests wouldn’t be leaked to media.
On Nov. 28, an attorney for Favre reportedly filed for his name to be dropped from the state’s lawsuit that includes dozens of names.
“[The Mississippi Department of Human Services] groundlessly and irresponsibly seeks to blame Favre for its own grossly improper and unlawful handling of welfare funds and its own failure to properly monitor and audit” how organizations used the money, the AP reports.
“Including Favre in this lawsuit has had the intended effect — it has attracted national media attention to this case,” Favre’s lawyer wrote. The lawyer also wrote there were “false insinuations concerning Favre’s supposed involvement” instead of the agency that’s responsible for the scandal.
The Mississippi Department of Human Services seeks the alleged money stolen in the state’s largest public corruption case, claiming over $20 million was misspent from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families anti-poverty program. Mississippi is America’s poorest state.
