A welfare audit in Mississippi uncovered a stunning revelation – NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre received $1.1 million in welfare funds. Now, the legendary quarterback is paying it back. But, questions remain as to how and why this NFL legend accepted a large pile of cash that was intended for poor people.
Brett Favre Paid For Speeches That He Never Made
50-year-old Favre earned millions throughout the course of his NFL career. So it’s hard to imagine a situation in which he should qualify for welfare.
But, the former quarterback was given a small fortune in welfare funds for a bizarre reason. The welfare money was reportedly payment for speeches from Favre. Speeches that he actually never even delivered.
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This money was intended for the poorest of Mississippi’s poor. Instead, it was given to Brett Favre.
Mississippi Welfare Audit
An audit of the Mississippi Department of Human Services exposed widespread misuse of funds, including expensive cars, sponsoring a college baseball tournament, and Brett Favre speeches that were never made.
The State Auditor Shad White admitted this is “the most egregious misspending my staff have seen in their careers at the Office of the State Auditor.”
A nug you may have missed from the @MS_DHS audit released today: Mississippi paid $1.1 million in welfare money to quarterback Brett Favre to appear at events. And then he didn’t go. pic.twitter.com/uMq2Y9mDdV
— Anna Wolfe (@ayewolfe) May 4, 2020
From The Clarion Ledger:
Brett Favre’s company, Favre Enterprises, was paid $1.1 million by MCEC over two installments for appearances, promotions, autographs and speaking engagements by the former star quarterback from Mississippi. Auditors said after reviewing dates and other details they determined Favre “did not speak nor was he present for those events.” They wrote the amount Favre made in the deal was “unreasonable.”
The legendary Green Bay Quarterback wasn’t even present for the events where he was paid to speak. Officials responsible for this spending are now facing charges.
Meanwhile, Favre is trying to alleviate some of the blowback by returning the money that he received. Money that was supposed to benefit the indigent people of Mississippi.
Brett Favre Returning Over $1.1 In Welfare Money
Mississippi’s State Auditor confirmed the wealthy Hall of Famer has already returned half a million dollars of the welfare money. And that he will pay the remaining $600,000 in installments.
(GSS) Brett Favre is repaying $1.1 million in welfare money he received for multiple speeches where he did not show up. Auditor Shad White said his office received $500,000 from Favre Wednesday, plus a commitment that Favre will repay the other $600,000 in installments. pic.twitter.com/8uDApBv08D
— HJ (Hank) Ellison (@hjtherealj) May 7, 2020
The State Auditor gave Favre some cover by stating the quarterback may have been unaware of where the $1.1 million came from.
“I want to applaud Mr. Favre for his good faith effort to make this right and make the taxpayers and TANF families whole,” Auditor Shad White said in a statement.
“To date, we have seen no records indicating Mr. Favre knew that TANF [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program] was the program that served as the source of the money he was paid.”
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Even if that is the case, it’s hard to imagine why Brett Favre would except such an exceedingly large payment for speeches that he never bothered to give.
It appears he didn’t even phone it in while accepting over a $1 million.