Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM
Retired NFL star and alleged “Welfare Queen” Brett Favre is calling out the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) and looking to be dropped from the scandalous lawsuit that made headlines earlier this year.
The issue came to light back in September, and it’s centered around recovering millions of dollars in misappropriated welfare funds. An audit suggested that wealthy Mississippi residents benefitted from resources that were slated to go to impoverished families, and Brett’s name was included in the lawsuit.
He was specifically accused of helping to establish a $5 million volleyball net at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) with misappropriated welfare funds. Additionally, Favre allegedly received another $1 million from the Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC) to cover his fundraising gigs.
We should also note that the case is a civil matter, and Brett hasn’t been criminally charged with any wrongdoing.
On Monday, Brett’s attorney—Eric D. Herschmann—filed a motion to have his client dismissed from the lawsuit, according to AP News.
In the filing, Herschmann slammed the MDHS and said it “groundlessly and irresponsibly seeks to blame Favre for its own grossly improper and unlawful handling of welfare funds.”
He also implied that Brett was included in the matter only to help it gain more traction.
“Including Favre in this lawsuit has had the intended effect—it has attracted national media attention to this case.”
The lawyer went on to further call out the legal matter in a statement to ESPN.
“[MDHS]’s lawsuit is nothing more than a baseless attempt to blame Brett Favre for its own failure to oversee the welfare funds placed in its trust. Mr. Favre never had any control over how Mississippi spent its welfare funds. He never made any misrepresentations to anyone.”
At this point, we should add that Favre responded to the controversy back in October. In a statement to Fox News, the 53-year-old former athlete proclaimed his innocence.
“I have been unjustly smeared in the media. I have done nothing wrong, and it is past time to set the record straight.
No one ever told me, and I did not know, that funds designated for welfare recipients were going to the University or me.”
He went on to say that he was only trying to help improve facilities at his alma mater.
“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.”
So far, Brett has repaid the $1 million in misappropriated funds that he received from the MCEC.
However, according to auditor Shad White, he still owes $228,000 in interest. White also told AP News that they aren’t concerned with Favre’s statements on the matter.
“Every party in the civil case is free to make the arguments that they would like to make, and I’m not going to comment on them. The court system can see the case through, and the judge can determine who owes what back.”
What do you think about the controversy, and do you believe that Brett Favre is a “Welfare Queen”?
