Brett Favre is speaking out regarding claims that he was allegedly involved in a Mississippi welfare fund scandal. The Hall of Fame quarterback released a statement to Fox News denying any knowledge that he was taking money that was supposed to go to welfare recipients in the state.
Favre has been accused of knowingly taking $5 million, which was supposed to be part of a welfare fund, to build a volleyball facility at Southern Miss. He also allegedly took $1 million in welfare funds for speaking engagements that he did not attend. In his statement, Favre maintains that he was unaware the money was allocated for a welfare program.
"No one ever told me, and I did not know, that funds designated for welfare recipients were going to the University or me," Favre said. "I tried to help my alma mater USM, a public Mississippi state university, raise funds for a wellness center. My goal was and always will be to improve the athletic facilities at my university."
Favre added that he has been "unjustly smeared" by the media.
As part of a welfare program, Mississippi designated federal funds to two non-profits tasked with using the money to assist needy families. One of the non-profits was Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC), which was founded by Nancy New. Text messages from Aug. 3, 2017 claim Favre asked New about privacy regarding payments to him.
"If you were to pay me is there anyway the media can find out where it came from and how much?" he wrote in the text message conversation, photos show.
Favre's attorney, Eric Herschmann, defended that text message to Fox News by saying that the legendary quarterback simply "didn't want his source of income to be public."
Favre was questioned by the FBI about his alleged involvement in the scandal, but he is not facing any criminal charges at this time.
