OT: Bret Favre in trouble with the law

[RiverDog]

Have any of you guys heard about this?

NFL legend Brett Favre was questioned by the FBI in a scandal of misappropriated welfare funds in Mississippi.

The state of Mississippi gave Favre $1.1 million in 2017 and 2018 to deliver speeches. Not only did the Hall of Fame quarterback not give them, but the money was drawn from federal welfare funds.

Favre’s lawyer Bud Holmes told NBC News that Favre was questioned by the FBI in the case. The lawyer denied wrongdoing on Favre’s part, telling the outlet that Favre had no knowledge that the money he was paid had been diverted from money that was supposed to go to disadvantaged families. Favre has not been accused of committing a crime in the case.

Favre also lobbied for a multi-million dollar grant for a drug company in which he was the biggest shareholder, and $5 million for a new volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter was on the team and the elder Favre played football in college.

Text messages surfaced during the scandal that showed Favre asking an official from the drug company Prevacus, saying, “Don’t know if legal or not but we need cut him in.” The text message allegedly referred to former Mississippi governor Phil Bryant, and Favre sent a follow-up text saying “Also if legal I’ll give some of my shares to the Governor.”

https://nypost.com/2022/09/02/brett-fav ... e-scandal/

There's more in that link. I'm surprised that we haven't heard more about this. I knew that Favre was one of the stupidest HOF quarterbacks, his only competition being Goober Bradshaw, but I didn't think he was corrupt.

[Aseahawkfan]

That is surprising. I know he was a tough son of a b**** and he had a painkiller addiction. He also that scandal sending inappropriate pics a while back. He might be one of those entitled athletes that feels he can get away with anything.

[Old but Slow]

Just a good ole' guy doin' what a good ole' guy does.

[Aseahawkfan]

Just a good ole' guy doin' what a good ole' guy does.

Now I'm hearing the Dukes of Hazard theme song.

[c_hawkbob]

I don't know if taking a million bucks earmarked for starving children is a "good old guy" thing, but not even delivering the "motivational speeches" it was payment for doesn't help that score. The first I heard of it was tonight's news so I'm not surprised we haven't heard more of it.

[RiverDog]

I don't know if taking a million bucks earmarked for starving children is a "good old guy" thing, but not even delivering the "motivational speeches" it was payment for doesn't help that score. The first I heard of it was tonight's news so I'm not surprised we haven't heard more of it.

Yeah, me, too. it was tucked away in a "trending now" item on my news feed. Apparently, the story has been around for some time, since October of 2021 when Favre denied taking any funds meant for the needy.

[Aseahawkfan]

Yeah, me, too. it was tucked away in a "trending now" item on my news feed. Apparently, the story has been around for some time, since October of 2021 when Favre denied taking any funds meant for the needy.

Is this 100 percent proven or in the speculation/proof finding phase? I don't want to pile on some guy that may not have done what he is accused or doing. But if he did it, that's pretty low behavior.

[RiverDog]

Yeah, me, too. it was tucked away in a "trending now" item on my news feed. Apparently, the story has been around for some time, since October of 2021 when Favre denied taking any funds meant for the needy.

Is this 100 percent proven or in the speculation/proof finding phase? I don't want to pile on some guy that may not have done what he is accused or doing. But if he did it, that's pretty low behavior.

No, it's not. It's in the investigative stage, but it sounds pretty serious. Read the article in the OP.

[jshawaii22]

Supposedly he gave back all the $$$ that he was 'paid for services' that were never fulfilled, but he refused to pay the interest that the state comptroller demanded and that kept it in the news much longer. I think now they are after the State and private firm employees that came up with this charade to obtain/defraud federal funds. Brett may not of known all of it, but certainly should of known that being paid for services that were never expected to be fulfilled is a no-no. And I wonder if he paid taxes on the income? That could land him in big trouble, too.

EDITED 9/16 -- wow!
This is far bigger then just being paid for non-performance. It seems that 'Ol Bret has a kid just starting at Mississippi State and her (I think) softball) stadium is not up to Bret's standards... so he paid a hefty bribe through the ex-governor to a paid state employee whose job it was to distribute the federal funds to obtain a few million to help build her a new stadium. Nice! Screw the 'low income' folk this was supposed to help.
Wouldn't surprise me to see Bret indicted soon.

[RiverDog]

It's getting worse for Favre:

Text messages suggest the NFL legend and former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant were eager participants in a scheme to divert money meant for poor children.

Text messages entered Monday into the state’s ongoing civil lawsuit over the welfare scandal reveal that former Gov. Phil Bryant pushed to make NFL legend Brett Favre’s volleyball idea a reality.

The texts show that the then-governor even guided Favre on how to write a funding proposal so that it could be accepted by the Mississippi Department of Human Services – even after Bryant ousted the former welfare agency director John Davis for suspected fraud.

In one text exchange, Favre specifically asks New whether payments to him could be kept secret. “If you were to pay me is there anyway the media can find out where it came from and how much?” Favre asked. New tells him — incorrectly — no. And after she told Favre that then-Gov. Bryant had signed off on the deal, Favre replied, “Awesome I needed to hear that for sure.”

That’s particularly damning given that Favre has claimed he didn’t know the money he received had come from a fund meant for poor kids.

https://mississippitoday.org/2022/09/13 ... e-welfare/

There's a lot more in that article if you're interested. So far, Favre has not been charged with a crime and the HOF QB has denied being aware that the funding for the project he was promoting were obtained illegally, but the texts seem to indicate otherwise.

[c_hawkbob]

Favre's turning out to be quite the scumbag...

[RiverDog]

Favre's turning out to be quite the scumbag...

Favre has always been a bit of a scumbag. Don't forget about his sexting scandal from back in 2008 when he was sending explicit text messages and voice mails to female employees of the Jets. And not that it makes him a scumbag, but he's had some very serious substance abuse issues that landed him in rehab. He's not exactly a Russell Wilson type of a guy.

You'd have to be pretty gullible not to at least suspect that the funds Favre was receiving were illegally diverted, especially when he was asking about keeping the transactions secret, and he had to have known that receiving money for services he did not perform wasn't kosher. But then again, Favre might just be that stupid.

[Aseahawkfan]

Man, Favre is a low life. Never really cared much about him one way or the other, but this sure makes me dislike him.

[RiverDog]

Here's what the senior reporter for Yahoo Sports had to say about Bret Favre:

Charles Robinson, Yahoo! senior NFL reporter, had some biting criticisms of Brett Favre as he posted a tweet sharing his article titled "Brett Favre is an example of NFL hero worship gone wrong."

Robinson said it's finally time for everyone to wake up to Favre's decades of "b*******" entitlement:

Warning: Explicit Language

"Brett Favre’s character has been forgiven for years — inside and outside football. I’ve played a part, holding him up as a relatable blue collar icon and framing him as a good guy with flaws. But it’s time to wake up to his decades of bull$&!$ entitlement."

The ironic thing about this is that Favre is a native Mississippian and should know firsthand just how poor the state is, how many children there are that are really struggling, and for him to knowingly be part of a plan to divert funds from a welfare program to a pet peeve project that his daughter was going to benefit from and accept money for services he knows he didn't perform, demonstrates just how insensitive this man is.

If this story is true, and Favre ends up being convicted of fraud, they should kick him out of the HOF.

[NorthHawk]

Can a member of the HoF be removed?
I don’t think it’s ever happened.

[RiverDog]

Can a member of the HoF be removed?
I don’t think it’s ever happened.

I don't think anyone ever has been removed in any sport's HOF's. I was just saying that they should remove him if he's tried and found guilty.

[obiken]

I don't think anyone ever has been removed in any sport's HOF's. I was just saying that they should remove him if he's tried and found guilty.

No, they didnt remove OJ River.

[obiken]

But he didnt take the money for himself he took the Welfare money for the Volley ball park, or did I miss something.

[RiverDog]

But he didnt take the money for himself he took the Welfare money for the Volley ball park, or did I miss something.

Good point about OJ. And yes, you missed something, over a million of them. From the link in the OP:

The state of Mississippi gave Favre $1.1 million in 2017 and 2018 to deliver speeches. Not only did the Hall of Fame quarterback not give them, but the money was drawn from federal welfare funds.

To his credit, Favre willingly returned the money once the authorities found out (although he didn't pay the interest that was due, over $200k), but you'd have to be pretty naive to think that he didn't know about getting over a million bucks for doing nothing prior to it being revealed to the authorities. But then again, we're talking about a moron, so who knows.

The text messages reveal a consciousness of guilt when he wanted to know if they could keep the source of the funding secret. The guy smells like a fish, Obi.

[obiken]

Good point about OJ. And yes, you missed something, over a million of them. From the link in the OP:

The state of Mississippi gave Favre $1.1 million in 2017 and 2018 to deliver speeches. Not only did the Hall of Fame quarterback not give them, but the money was drawn from federal welfare funds.

To his credit, Favre willingly returned the money once the authorities found out (although he didn't pay the interest that was due, over $200k), but you'd have to be pretty naive to think that he didn't know about getting over a million bucks for doing nothing prior to it being revealed to the authorities. But then again, we're talking about a moron, so who knows.

The text messages reveal a consciousness of guilt when he wanted to know if they could keep the source of the funding secret. The guy smells like a fish, Obi.

Oh okay, I did miss that one. You know that I was never a big Farve fan anyway, but it had to do with his playing than him. I just felt the shooting from the hip mentality cost him too many big games. I dont get it River, this guy made millions from the NFL why defraud the state of Miss???!!!

[RiverDog]

Good point about OJ. And yes, you missed something, over a million of them. From the link in the OP:

The state of Mississippi gave Favre $1.1 million in 2017 and 2018 to deliver speeches. Not only did the Hall of Fame quarterback not give them, but the money was drawn from federal welfare funds.

To his credit, Favre willingly returned the money once the authorities found out (although he didn't pay the interest that was due, over $200k), but you'd have to be pretty naive to think that he didn't know about getting over a million bucks for doing nothing prior to it being revealed to the authorities. But then again, we're talking about a moron, so who knows.

The text messages reveal a consciousness of guilt when he wanted to know if they could keep the source of the funding secret. The guy smells like a fish, Obi.

Oh okay, I did miss that one. You know that I was never a big Farve fan anyway, but it had to do with his playing than him. I just felt the shooting from the hip mentality cost him too many big games. I dont get it River, this guy made millions from the NFL why defraud the state of Miss???!!!

There are just two possibilities:

1. Favre is a moron. He doesn't pay attention to details, lets his accountant and lawyer handle everything. Both his account and his lawyer are scumbags and didn't think it worth their time to advise Favre of the source of the funds or the fact that he had never performed the services he had gotten paid to do. When Farve found out, he immediately returned the money, but then, being the moron that he is, he didn't realize that the state was asking that he pay them interest on what was essentially a loan, an amount due of over $200K. After all, $200K is peanuts to a guy like Favre.

2. Favre is a scumbag. He knew full well what he was doing, where the over $1M+ came from, and was aware that he had not performed the services he was being paid to do. He only repaid the money when it was discovered and became public. He thought that he could get away with not paying the interest on it, that somehow, it was not his fault that the money ended up in his bank account, and that maybe he wouldn't have to pay it.

Or it could be a combination of those two possibilities. But I see no other alternative explanation that doesn't incorporate at least one of those two scenarios.

[NorthHawk]

Maybe I'm naive, but if a Sr politician offered me money to do speaking assignments, I wouldn't ask where the money is coming from but would assume it was properly budgeted (I would fulfill my part, though).
So how did Favre find out that it was taken from other programs? Did the former Governor just tell him? If so, Favre is surely a moron and scumbag for not paying it all back immediately.

[RiverDog]

A key domino in the Bret Favre scandal got pushed over yesterday:

In a development that could impact Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, a key figure in an unfolding Mississippi welfare misappropriation scandal entered into a plea deal with state and federal prosecutors Thursday.

In a deal announced by the U.S. Department of Justice, John Davis, the former director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, entered a guilty plea Thursday for his role in a scheme that misdirected more than $70 million in welfare funds earmarked to support the state’s neediest residents. In exchange for the plea, Davis is expected to cooperate with investigators who are seeking additional indictments in the scam.

Davis' cooperation is believed to be key for state and federal prosecutors, who are seeking information on other possible individuals involved in the various stages of misdirecting funds. Those under investigation include multiple unnamed (for now) co-conspirators with Davis.

Favre has come under media scrutiny for nearly $8.1 million in welfare funds that were allegedly doled out to entities tied to the former NFL star. Of that sum, $1.1 million directly went to Favre for public speaking appearances that he allegedly didn’t make, along with $5 million to the construction of a volleyball building at Favre’s alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, and another $2 million to a pharmaceutical startup that Favre has been tied to as an investor.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/on ... r-AA128GT1

There were a number of meetings and text message exchanges between Davis, Favre, and former Mississippi governor Bryant, and Davis has agreed to cooperate in exchange for a lighter sentence. His guilty plea carries with it a possible 15 year prison term. There's a good chance that he could implicate Favre.

[Hawktawk]

To me the pharma startup smells the worst of all of it . The speaking money was returned . The volleyball facility could garner some sympathy from a jury . But yeah the guys a douche and scumbag that was sending texts of his alleged junk to Jen Sterger as a jet , had an affair while his wife was battling cancer. I don’t judge the pill addiction . They used to hand out meds like candy , hardcore tranquilizers , opiates . I credit him for making it public and getting help. Overall a pile of a human . The toughest qb ever . Great yes but a bit overrated imo . Too many picks , not enough hardware on damn good teams with stars everywhere. He’s not coming out of the hall . It’s a judge of play , not character .
Let the justice system run its course . He will probably buy his way out of it . He’s Brett Favre in Mississippi. Like OJ in LA.

[RiverDog]

To me the pharma startup smells the worst of all of it . The speaking money was returned . The volleyball facility could garner some sympathy from a jury . But yeah the guys a douche and scumbag that was sending texts of his alleged junk to Jen Sterger as a jet , had an affair while his wife was battling cancer. I don’t judge the pill addiction . They used to hand out meds like candy , hardcore tranquilizers , opiates . I credit him for making it public and getting help. Overall a pile of a human . The toughest qb ever . Great yes but a bit overrated imo . Too many picks , not enough hardware on damn good teams with stars everywhere. He’s not coming out of the hall . It’s a judge of play , not character .
Let the justice system run its course . He will probably buy his way out of it . He’s Brett Favre in Mississippi. Like OJ in LA.

FYI Favre returned the money, but not the interest, which is nearly a quarter million bucks. From what I can tell, the state has yet to decide whether or not to pursue the interest payments:

The former NFL quarterback has already been required to repay $1.1 million in funds that were given to him for speeches that he never made, a total he still owes more than $225,000 in interest on, according to reports.

And yes, the pharma startup smells, but IMO the whole thing stinks worse than a 3 day old fish. And I wouldn't count on Favre being able to buy his way out of it. The state of Mississippi isn't involved in the case, at least not yet. These are the feds that are snooping around.

[Hawktawk]

Good point I guess I wasn’t aware it’s a federal investigation. He’s still Brett Favre . It’s over 70 million swindled so he’s kind of small potato’s but 7 mil is a lot of money . Dude could have done charity functions to support his causes . Sounds like the state is a cesspool of corruption .

[RiverDog]

Good point I guess I wasn’t aware it’s a federal investigation. He’s still Brett Favre . It’s over 70 million swindled so he’s kind of small potato’s but 7 mil is a lot of money . Dude could have done charity functions to support his causes . Sounds like the state is a cesspool of corruption .

Yeah, the big one that I'm sure that they're after is the former Governor. But Favre is the more recognizable, both in his home state of Mississippi and nationwide. I'm sure that there's a number of DOJ employees that wouldn't mind having a collar on Bret Favre to put on their resume.

[RiverDog]

Boy, this story is incredible and keeps getting more and more outrageous. From the New York Times:

Mississippi Welfare Scandal Spreads Well Beyond Brett Favre

According to a lawsuit filed by the state in May, around $5 million was diverted to Ted DiBiase, a flamboyant retired wrestler once known as “The Million Dollar Man,” and two of his sons, as well as various entities connected to them, including a ministry. Much of the money went to fictitious services, bogus jobs, first-class travel arrangements and even one son’s stay at a luxury rehab center in Malibu, Calif., that cost $160,000, the suit claims.

Similarly, the state claims that Marcus Dupree, a former high school football phenom and professional running back, who was paid to act as a celebrity endorser and motivational speaker, did not perform any contractual services toward the $371,000 he received to purchase and live in a sprawling residence with a swimming pool and adjacent horse pastures in a gated community.

The accusations about fraudulent grants were all laid out in the lawsuit filed in May against 38 individuals and organizations, which sought the repayment of more than $24 million.

The state alleges that the money was siphoned off for services that were often never provided and in any case, would have failed to meet both federal and state regulations governing their dispersal. The case follows a state audit released in May 2020 suggesting that as much as $94 million of TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) funds might have gone astray.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/missi ... 3a2ce6a074

[Old but Slow]

My disgust for these people is immeasurable.

[Aseahawkfan]

Robbing from welfare is pretty damn low.

[Hawktawk]

Robbing from welfare is pretty damn low.

Incredible . But so is ripping off the covid relief money . I see a big bust just happened . Some people are just excrement period .

[RiverDog]

Robbing from welfare is pretty damn low.

Incredible . But so is ripping off the covid relief money . I see a big bust just happened . Some people are just excrement period .

Theft is theft no matter who's money it is or intended to go to, but if I were to rate the two, I'd peg stealing money intended for the poor much lower on the scale than I would covid relief money. It's Robin Hood in reverse, stealing from the poor and giving to the rich.

On a slightly different angle, what does it say about our system if it allows $94 million to get misappropriated like that and go unnoticed, at least for a time? It makes you wonder how many people are able to steal from programs like these and not get caught.

[Hawktawk]

Best point that’s been made yet . The inteptitude of those managing these institutions

[NorthHawk]

Or is corruption ingrained in that community? A lot of people would have had to have known about it and said nothing.

[RiverDog]

Here's another interesting article about the burgeoning scandal, which could end up snaring a sitting governor:

A defendant in Mississippi’s civil lawsuit to recoup millions in misspent welfare money is asking the court to examine whether Gov. Tate Reeves is controlling the case to protect himself and his supporters.

After Mississippi Today uncovered text messages Friday that connect the current governor to the funding of a defendant in the case, attorney Jim Waide argued Monday that Reeves should be a target of the lawsuit — not in charge of it.

The texts show former welfare director John Davis, who is facing criminal charges in the welfare scandal, said he was fulfilling then-Lt. Gov. Reeves’ wishes when he funneled over $1 million to Reeves’ fitness trainer, a defendant in the suit.

The Reeves administration also recently fired the attorney bringing the welfare suit, former U.S. Attorney Brad Pigott, after the attorney attempted to subpoena the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation for its communication with, among others, former Gov. Phil Bryant. Bryant oversaw the welfare department when the scandal occurred.

Reeves’ staff had already forced Pigott to remove the athletic foundation, whose board is made up of many Reeves supporters and campaign donors, from the suit before he filed it.

“It is an abuse of power for Governor Reeves to frustrate a state agency’s collecting monies owed it in order to protect his financial supporters,” wrote Waide, the Tupelo-based attorney representing Davis’ nephew Austin Smith, who received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the agency during his uncle’s administration. “It is an abuse of power for Governor Reeves to direct litigation in which he is a necessary party defendant.”

Pigott, who had been on the civil case for a year and filed the suit in May, told Mississippi Today he believed his firing was political. Reeves confirmed as much, saying he believed Pigott, a semi-retired former President Bill Clinton appointee, was the one with a political agenda.

https://hattiesburgpatriot.com/area-new ... rge-of-it/

Keep in mind that this is the State of Mississippi's investigation into the scandal, not the federal government. Man, what a mess!