Lawyers: NFL right to investigate Favre

NEW YORK, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Lawyers weighing in on the alleged Brett Favre scandal say the NFL has a legitimate interest in looking into the reports of sexting.

Attorneys contributing to various football blogs say Favre's alleged behavior not only is bad publicity but could be considered criminal, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Favre allegedly sent sexually suggestive images and voice mails to a woman who worked as a sideline reporter for the New York Jets in 2008 when Favre was quarterback of the team. The images wound up on the Internet, although there is no direct proof they came from Favre.

"Brett Favre's alleged acts aren't really private at all," Clay Travis wrote on NFL FanHouse. "They're actionable under the law and directly implicate football."

The newspaper said lawyers agreed that Favre could be considered to have a position of power over the woman due to his key position as the Jets' starting quarterback.

The New York Post said Saturday that Favre's wife, Deanne, wrote in her 2007 autobiography that Favre had a history of carousing and relationships with women that she considered inappropriate. She said she twice threatened to leave him.