Favre has been accused of working with then-Republican Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant to obtain $5 million from Mississippi welfare funds to build the venue at his alma mater, where his daughter played volleyball. He has also been accused of raising more than $1 million in welfare funds for public speaking engagements that he allegedly skipped.
In mid-September, a story by Anna Wolfe of Mississippi Today showed text messages between Favre and Bryant, apparently collaborating with the scheme. The messages were entered in a Mississippi state civil lawsuit and appeared to show text messages between the Green Bay Packers legend and Bryant to a woman named Nancy New, who pleaded guilty to embezzling welfare money in April.
“I could record some radio ads,” he texted New, according to the report “…and any compensation could go to USM.”
“If you were to pay me, is there any way the media can find out where it came from and how much?” he also sent a text message.
New told Favre that his nonprofit does not release such information. A day later, she texted him, “Wow, I just got off the phone with Phil Bryant! He agrees with us! We’ll get this over with!”
However, Favre’s attorney told Globe Live Media, “Like most celebrities, he didn’t want his source of income to be public.”
“He had no idea the payment was coming from (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families),” Eric Herschmann he said, “and if I had known I would never have accepted that money.”
It was also reported in late September that $130,000 from the 11-time Pro Bowler’s “Favre 4 Hope” charity was funneled into USM athletics from 2018 to 2020. Founded by Favre and his wife, Deanna Favre, in 1995, the foundation provides “funding assistance” to services for disadvantaged youth and cancer patients in Mississippi and Wisconsin.
Favre added in his statement to Globe Live Media: “I have been unfairly smeared in the media.”
The 53-year-old has not yet been arrested or criminally charged in the case.