Brett Favre’s weekly NFL radio show for SiriusXM ‘is put on hold’ amid his welfare fund scandal after recent claims that he ‘pushed for money to aid payment of university sports facilities despite being told it could be illegal’
- Brett Favre’s weekly NFL show for SiriusXM has been put on hold amid his alleged involvement in a Mississippi state welfare scandal
- Favre has appeared on ‘The SiriusXM Blitz With Brett Favre and Bruce Murray’ program since 2018
- The move comes after ESPN Milwaukee said it was pausing the former Green Bay Packers quarterback’s appearances on the station
- Text messages released in a court filing reportedly show Favre pressing for support toward new sports facilities for the University of Southern Mississippi
- The 52-year-old was reportedly paid $1.1m for motivational speeches he didn’t make
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Brett Favre’s weekly NFL show for SiriusXM has been put on hold amid his alleged involvement in a Mississippi state welfare scandal.
A company spokesperson confirmed the news to Variety on Sunday but declined to provide further comment.
Favre allegedly pressed for state officials to help him build a new volleyball complex according to the most recent court filing relating to Mississippi’s welfare scandal, obtained by ESPN.
Favre has appeared on ‘The SiriusXM Blitz With Brett Favre and Bruce Murray’ program since 2018.
SiriusXM’s move comes after a spokesperson for ESPN Milwaukee told Front Office Sports last week that it was pausing Favre’s weekly appearances on the station.
Favre has not been charged with regard to the welfare misspending case, but did receive $1.1 million in state welfare money for no-show speaking gigs, which he has since repaid, according to state officials.
Brett Favre’s weekly NFL show for SiriusXM has been put on hold amid his alleged involvement in a Mississippi state welfare scandal
Favre has been accused of getting welfare money to build a college volleyball facility
State Auditor Shad Whit last year demanded repayment of $77m of missed welfare funds — including $1.1m to Favre — from several people and groups.
In a Facebook post when he repaid the first $500,000, Favre said he did not know the money he received came from welfare funds. He also said his charity had provided millions of dollars to poor children in Mississippi and Wisconsin.
The former Packers quarterback is accused of attempting to funnel $5m into the new volleyball complex built at Southern Miss, where his daughter played the sport in 2017 and 2018.
Per the ESPN report, then-Mississippi Gov. Bryant texted Favre on July 28, 2019, telling the non-profit, which had paid him for promoting the volleyball initiative, ‘has some limited control over Federal Funds in the form of Grants for Children and adults in the Low Income Community.’
He received $1.1m in state welfare money for no-show speaking gigs, which he has since repaid.
‘Use of these funds [are] tightly controlled,’ Bryant wrote, according to the filing sourced by ESPN. ‘Any improper use could result in violation of Federal Law. Auditors are currently reviewing the use of these funds.’
It’s also reported that on the same day Favre texted Bryant about adding a football facility as well as trying to get NFL legend Deion Sanders’ son to the university.
Per the report on the filing, on September 4, 2019, Favre sent a text to Bryant following a meeting — in which they were both present — where they and others discussed proposing for further funding for ‘programs’ at the new volleyball facility .
Text messages purportedly showing Favre, Nancy New — who ran a nonprofit in the state and has since pleaded guilty to fraud charges — and Bryant working on the scheme were included in a filing two weeks ago.
Text messages purportedly showing Favre, New and Bryant working on the scheme were included in a filing. In one from August of 2017, Favre texted New, asking: ‘If you were to pay me is there anyway the media can find out where it came from and how much?’
In one from August of 2017, Favre texted New, asking: ‘If you were to pay me is there anyway the media can find out where it came from and how much?’
According to a Mississippi Today report, involved parties managed to find a loophole regarding the expenditure of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds, in which the Mississippi Department of Human Services put forward $4m toward the facility upgrade.
Favre has reportedly been questioned by the FBI over a $1.1 million payment made to him.
Favre is a Super Bowl champion and three-time NFL MVP who played for the Falcons, Packers, Jets and Vikings, but is most famous for his 15 years as a quarterback in Green Bay.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
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