Why is former Packers QB Brett Favre suing Pat McAfee and Shannon Sharpe?
From star QB to Super Bowl winner, the former Packers icon has been scrutinized recently due to his entrepreneurial activities, some of which have allegedly been less than transparent.
The three-time league MVP, has apparently taken issue with some of the comments made by two former players in the media. So much so in fact, that he’s now said to be taking legal action against them for airing their opinions on his business ventures.
Brett Favre set to sue Pat McAfee and Shannon Sharpe
As you probably know by now, former NFL star Brett Favre has been accused of extensive wrongdoing by the Mississippi Department of Human Resources in relation to the misuse of funds by his Foundation. Yet, according to reports, the former signal caller is now accusing two other X-NFL players of defaming him in regards to the aforementioned allegations. In case you missed it, Favre himself is being sued by the state’s department after he allegedly misspent welfare money.
As per the suits which were filed on Thursday, Favre alleges that both Pat McAfee and Shannon Sharpe used their media platforms - ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ and Fox Sports 1 respectively - to promote false accusations and implications regarding his situation. To be clear, Favre has denied that he deliberately misused funds which were allocated to Mississippi’s poor population. Further to that, Favre’s suit also goes on to accuse Shade White, Mississippi’s state auditor, of defamation as well. The trio - according to the lawsuit - used their platforms to ruin Favre’s “good name.”
What are the details of the Brett Favre allegations?
As is the case with most things, there are layers to this situation. Firstly, aside from the allegations surrounding the misuse of funds, it was also alleged that Favre received payments for appearances which he never made. It’s important to note, that Favre did in fact repay some of that money - $600K to be precise - but clearly it was not a good look. Where the aforementioned White is concerned, the auditor previously alleged that Favre requested the Mississippi Department of Human Resources allocate money from its welfare fund to construct a new indoor practice facility for the University of Southern Mississippi University football team.
While that in itself may seem harmless, White went on to accuse Favre of desiring that sum of money not for football, but rather for a volleyball arena at the university, where his daughter, Breleigh, was playing. Interestingly, Favre moved to see the suit dismissed after denying any wrongdoing, while claiming that the accusations against him were only made to cover the department’s own culpability in the misuse of almost $100 million in public funds. To date, Favre has not faced any criminal charges.