Former NFL star quarterback Brett Favre is currently being investigated for his potential involvement in a massive public embezzlement scheme in which he allegedly conspired to steal millions of dollars of Mississippi welfare money to build a volleyball arena for his alma mater, Southern Miss.
Even though a string of shady text messages seem to prove Favre was intentionally involved in the scam, the former NFL quarterback is apparently still maintaining his innocence, telling Fox News that he has done “nothing wrong.”
“I have been unjustly smeared in the media,” Favre said in a statement provided to Fox News. “I have done nothing wrong, and it is past time to set the record straight.”
Favre went on to claim that he had did not know that the money he received was intended to be used for the needy.
“No one ever told me, and I did not know, that funds designated for welfare recipients were going to the University or me,” Favre said. “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.”
Favre claims that once he found out the money he received was from a welfare fund, he “returned all of it.” While Favre did return the $1.1 million, he has yet to repay the interest. As a result, the state of Mississippi is suing him.
Despite Favre’s claims of ignorance, his text messages indicate he knew exactly where the money was coming from, and he was quite concerned about the media finding out the source.
“If you were to pay me is there anyway for the media can find out where it came from and how much?” Favre asked in an October 2017 text message.
It’s also been revealed that Favre sought more welfare money to build a football stadium for his alma mater and used money from his charity intended for needy children to built another sports facility. Whether he maintains his innocence or not, things don’t look too good for the former NFL star.
[Fox News]
