Two notable sports figures that have been in the news recently are Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving and former Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre. Both have been accused of doing some pretty nefarious things, but there are some in the sports world who think that one of them is being treated much more harshly than the other.
Irving is currently serving a suspension without pay after he refused to explicitly apologize for sharing an antisemitic film on his social media accounts last week. Irving was combative with the media and seemed incapable of understanding why his refusal to stop promoting the film wasn’t good enough. He would later apologize.
Favre, meanwhile, has been mired in controversy surrounding his role in a welfare fund scandal in which it appears he knew he was taking money intended for the state’s poorest and using it to find a Southern Miss volleyball stadium as well as other ventures. While he has been interviewed by the FBI and sued by the state of Mississippi, he maintains his innocence as of yet.
While the two situations are vastly different and involve very different power structures, there are some in the sports world drawing comparisons to the fact that Irving is losing money over his situation while Favre has yet to be punished in any discernable way (though he has lost various sponsorships and did return some of the money he received).
Philadelphia Eagles defender Darius Slay is among those making that connection.
Brett Favre still big chilling huh!! Guess we forgot what he did.
— Darius Slay (@bigplay24slay) November 5, 2022
Brett Favre didn’t issue an apology or nothing..
— Darius Slay (@bigplay24slay) November 5, 2022
While the public excoriation of Kylie Irving continues, Brett Favre has yet to face any consequences for stealing $5 million from poor children in Mississippi in a welfare fraud case. #IStandWithKyrie
— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) November 7, 2022
https://twitter.com/WhosTYE/status/1586831726940233728
Not everyone was making the connection, however.
I swear I’ve seen more people bring up Brett Favre to deflect from what’s happening with Kyrie than when the Brett Favre scandal was leading the news cycles.
That right there is part of the problem.
— GNCordova (@GNCordova) November 7, 2022
https://twitter.com/carronJphillips/status/1589657417729511426
Coincidentally, Favre was also part of a different “whataboutism” exercise when he was still being accepted in NFL circles while Colin Kaepernick had been presumably shunned.
[Audacy]
