Brett Favre.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesA Green Bay Packers legend Brett FavreAllegations of his involvement in a widespread welfare fraud scandal have taken him from his home state of Mississippi to Capitol Hill, where he testified before Congress on Tuesday, September 24.
Favre, and former Governor Phil Bryanttwo of the most prominent figures in the scandal that began in Mississippi over the misallocation of $77 million in state funds intended to help the state’s low-income residents.
Some of those misdirected funds went to Favre himself or to Favre’s promotion, such as a new volleyball court on the campus of his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi. Favre’s daughter was on the school’s volleyball team at the time.
The former quarterback is alleged to have directed some of the funds to bankrupt the pharmaceutical company Prevacus, in which he was an investor.
Additionally, Favre received $1.1 million from that fund in speaking fees for events he never attended. Favre paid back that money, but allegedly did not pay back the $730,000 in interest the Mississippi Department of Human Services says he owes. Favre has denied wrongdoing and faces no criminal charges, but the state is suing him to recover the interest.
Surprisingly, Favre revealed that he has Parkinson’s during his testimony, moving the hearing into the spotlight.
“Unfortunately, I lost my investment in a company that I believed was producing a drug that I thought would help others, and I’m sure you’ll understand why it’s too late because I’ve just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. ,” Favre said.
Key Players
The entire web of this trend is complex, but it starts with Bryant, who was in charge from 2012 to 2020. Bryant was selected John Davis in 2016 as the director of government welfare. During his four-year tenure, Davis directed the multimillion-dollar nonprofit Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC), which was Nancy New. New allegedly worked closely with Bryant and Favre in directing some of those funds, which were intended to help Mississippians out of poverty.
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Funding for the volleyball center at USM, for example, came from MCEC, “with the assumption that poor people would attend classes at this center,” according to . Mississippi Today.
Davis, son of New and New Zachary all have since been arrested and pleaded guilty to federal and state charges.
An idea
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program provides a certain amount of money each year to each state as a way to help those in need. Under Bryant’s administration, tens of millions of dollars from TANF grants were paid through two nonprofits, including MCEC, in a manner the state auditor deemed “questionable.”
Favre, the Southern Mississippi volleyball program and Prevacus were among the recipients of those funds. Favre and Bryant say they don’t know where the money is coming from, but the messages they received call that into question. For example, Favre tweeted in August 2017, “If you were to pay me, is there any way the media can find out where it’s coming from and how much?”
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After Davis was forced out of his position, Favre sent a message to Bryant, asking how it would affect the volleyball center’s funding.
“I’ll handle that… long story but I had to make a change,” Bryant wrote. “But I’ll call Nancy and see what it takes.”
Why It’s a Big Deal
Over a four-year period, up to $77 million intended for Mississippi’s neediest families was instead directed elsewhere. In 2019, Mississippi had the highest poverty rate of any state in the country, hovering around 19.6 percent. The national average at the time was 10.5 percent, according to the Center for American Progress.
Mississippi Today reports that from 2016 to 2020, the state allocated $317 million in TANF funds, meaning that the misallocated portion accounted for nearly a quarter of the total.
The legal process is still ongoing, but as Davis awaits sentencing, he faces up to 15 years in prison for his role in the scandal. Young, meanwhile, faces up to 10 years in prison and Zachary, who helped guide the nonprofit, faces up to five.
What People Say
As Favre maintains his innocence, insisting that he didn’t know where the money came from and that he didn’t even know what TANF was at the time, others aren’t buying it.
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I’m Kimesone of ESPN’s top football reporters, called Favre “disgraceful” on the network’s popular roundtable talk show, Around the horn in 2022.
“What Brett Favre did wasn’t just stupid – it was cruel,” he added via X. “And it spoils the legacy, frankly, that should have been diminished already.”
Jenn Stergerthe Jets’ game day manager during Favre’s one season in New York, spoke out after Favre went public with his Parkinson’s diagnosis on Tuesday, writing on Instagram, “I don’t wish bad on anyone, but I know Karma never forgets an address.” Imagine being diagnosed with a terrible disease and having no resources to fight it bc a Hall-of-Fame quarterback stole it?
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Sterger accused Favre in 2010 of sending him inappropriate photos and graphic messages during his time with the Jets, which he said damaged his reputation and career.
What’s Next?
There’s a lot going on at once. Davis and Nancy and Zachary New are still awaiting sentencing, while Favre’s case is ongoing.
Meanwhile, a new alliance has emerged. Bryant sued Mississippi Today for defamation earlier this year and now he’s looking to catch up Anna Wolfethe Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who uncovered the scandal, in contempt of court by not turning over his notes, emails and confidential sources he gathered while reporting.
Wolfe and his editors at the paper could face jail time if they disagree. His editor, Adam Ganucheauhe said he would rather go to jail than reveal confidential sources.
