Back in February, former NFL star quarterback Brett Favre filed a defamation lawsuit against sports media personality Shannon Sharpe for comments Sharpe made about Favre’s alleged involvement in a Mississippi welfare fraud scandal. But now, that lawsuit has been dismissed.
Brett Favre sued Shannon Sharpe over a comment made during an episode of FS1’s Undisputed when Sharpe claimed that Favre “stole money from people that really needed that money.” But as a federal judge in Mississippi announced this week, Favre’s suit had no legal standing, and the case has since been dismissed.
“No reasonable person listening to the Broadcast would think that Favre actually went into the homes of poor people and took their money—that he committed the crime of theft/larceny against any particular poor person in Mississippi,” reads U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett’s ruling. “Sharpe’s comments were made against the backdrop of longstanding media coverage of Favre’s role in the welfare scandal and the State’s lawsuit against Favre. Listeners would have recognized Sharpe’s statements as rhetorical hyperbole—robust language used to express Sharpe’s strong views about the new information that emerged about Favre’s participation in the welfare scandal.
“The context in which Sharpe’s remarks were made–including the tenor of the Broadcast as a whole, the format of the program and its audience, and the fact that viewers were told Favre was not charged with a crime–forecloses Favre’s claim that a reasonable viewer would have thought Sharpe was actually accusing him of committing ‘larceny.’ Because Sharpe’s comments are constitutionally protected rhetorical hyperbole using loose, figurative language, they cannot support a defamation claim as a matter of law.”
It’s pretty horrible news for Favre, and it let to a lot of reactions on social media.
Friendly reminder Brett Farve still sucks https://t.co/bPydPm7f0Z
— Nick King Cole (@Nick_King_Cole) October 30, 2023
Welp lol https://t.co/7PTzGOAwgN
— With EVERYBODY Sayin' – C! J! Writes! YEAH! (@CJWritesNThangs) October 30, 2023
Brett Favre is a despicable person. Basically sued hoping to get money from Sharpe and others to pay back money he stole. He must be broke.
— Shonny (@itsShonny) October 31, 2023
The nerve suing Shannon Sharpe 4 defamation, with his thieving self! The case was thrown out & so was he!https://t.co/8tLXqFbiUj
— Cali B "Classic Review" (@CalizClassic) October 31, 2023
He mad at you for calling him out for selling from poor people lol. https://t.co/LaS2vXGjqG
— Savage 👿🌚 OTR (@Savageraven88) October 31, 2023
second time Shannon Sharpe beat Favre in a big game https://t.co/HzXO0sKIMl
— Blind Man (@BlindManBalance) October 31, 2023
Brett Favre needs to be in jail. https://t.co/O9n4j4Bkmc
— Dave The Great (@_DaveTheGreat_) October 31, 2023
Favre still has a pending defamation case against Mississippi state auditor Shad White.
