Former Green Bay Packer quarterback Brett Favre reacts to the crowd as his number is retired during a ceremony at halftime of the game between the Packers and Chicago Bears in November 2015, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Bears defeated the Packers 17-14. File Photo by Frank Polich/UPI |
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Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Brett Favre, the former star quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, filed defamation lawsuits Thursday against Mississippi's state auditor Shad White and sports commentators Shannon Sharpe and Pat McAfee.
The three separate lawsuits, obtained by The Clarion-Ledger and ESPN, came after Favre was linked to one of the largest fraud schemes in Mississippi history in which officials were found to have misused funds from federal programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
Six people have been charged in connection with the $77 million fraud scheme, including John Davis, a former executive director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, who pleaded guilty in September to federal wire fraud and theft charges.
Favre does not face any criminal charges but has been named in a lawsuit filed by the MDHS seeking to retrieve the lost welfare funds.
"Shad White, the State Auditor of Mississippi, has carried out an outrageous media campaign of malicious and false accusations against Brett Favre -- the Hall of Fame quarterback and native son of Mississippi -- in a brazen attempt to leverage the media attention generated by Favre's celebrity to further his own political career," the lawsuit filed by Favre's lawyers reads.
"By shamelessly and falsely attacking Favre's good name, White has gained national media attention he previously could have only dreamed of, including appearances on television shows on CNN and HBO, a popular ESPN podcast, as well as interviews for print and online media. None of these national media outlets would have paid White the slightest attention had he not been attacking Favre."
Fletcher Freeman, the media relations director for White, responded to the lawsuit in a statement defending White's comments and the investigation conducted by the Office of the State Auditor.
"Mr. Favre has called Auditor White and his team liars despite repaying some of the money our office demanded from him," Freeman said.
"He's also claimed the auditors are liars despite clear documentary evidence showing he benefitted from misspent funds."
In his lawsuit, Favre's attorneys said that there are no records indicating that the famous footballer knew that money he was paid for speeches to the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation.
Sharpe, who played in the NFL for 14 seasons, now commentates on the Fox Sports show "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed" on which he allegedly defamed Favre by claiming that he "stole money from people who really needed that money."
McAfee, a former punter, was sued by Favre for allegedly making similar statements on his show.
