One of the most famous athletes from Mississippi is being questioned in an investigation into the state's misuse of welfare funds.
Longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre was interviewed by the FBI as part of the scandal, his lawyer told NBC News in a story published Thursday evening.
The state auditor in Mississippi discovered that $70 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds had been used for various reasons not related to welfare, including an alleged $1.1 million going to Favre across 2017 and 2018 for motivational speeches he did not make.
“Favre hasn’t been accused of a crime or charged, and he declined an interview,” NBC’s Ken Dilanian and Laura Stickler wrote. “His lawyer, Bud Holmes, said he did nothing wrong and never understood he was paid with money intended to help poor children. Holmes acknowledged that Favre had been questioned by the FBI in the case, a fact that hasn’t previously been reported.”
Favre had paid the money back at the behest of the auditor, but not the interest of $228,000 that also was told to be paid with it.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer addressed the investigation in a series of tweets in October of 2021, denying that he’d accept money for no-show appearances. At that point, he said he was supporting the investigation and that the money was from three years of commercials he did, which he said he paid taxes on. Favre added that “of course the money was returned because I would never knowingly take funds meant to help our neighbors in need."
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