July 9th 2024.
After a federal judge dismissed his defamation lawsuit against ESPN's Shannon Sharpe in October 2023, former NFL quarterback Brett Favre is now seeking to appeal the decision on July 9. The lawsuit was initially thrown out because the judge deemed Sharpe's comments on a TV broadcast to be protected under the First Amendment.
According to The Associated Press, Judge Keith Starrett stated in his 2023 ruling that Sharpe's statements during a segment on the show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed should not be taken literally. He believed that no reasonable person would view Favre's actions as stealing from specific individuals in Mississippi.
Favre's legal team, on the other hand, argued that the judge's interpretation of Sharpe's words was incorrect. They saw Sharpe's repeated remarks about Favre "stealing money" from the underserved as factual statements.
Sharpe's attorneys countered this argument by claiming that the judge's decision was valid. They stated that Sharpe's comments were simply part of a larger conversation between media commentators about an important public issue.
The controversy surrounding Favre's lawsuit stems from his involvement in a scandal involving misused funds from a non-profit organization. According to The AP, Favre has already repaid the $1.1 million he received from the organization, but still owes over $700,000 in accrued interest. This scandal was uncovered during an investigation by Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, who discovered that the state had misallocated millions of dollars meant for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
One of the incidents involving this misallocation was a scheme orchestrated by former Mississippi Department of Human Services Director John Davis and Nancy New, the operator of the Mississippi Community Education Center. They diverted $5 million to a project that Favre wanted at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi. New also diverted funds to a pharmaceutical company that Favre had invested in, Prevacus. Unlike Favre, Davis, New, and Prevacus founder Jake VanLandingham are facing criminal charges for their actions.
The state of Mississippi is now pursuing a civil lawsuit against multiple individuals and organizations, including Favre, in an attempt to recover the misused funds. According to the lawsuit, Favre was aware that the money he received from the non-profit was actually grant funds from MDHS. He also discussed the source of the funds with Jon Gilbert and texted VanLandingham about getting grant money from New for the University of Southern Mississippi's volleyball facility.
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