According to a new report from Front Office Sports, Brett Favre and his legal team requested to lift a gag order in the Mississippi welfare fraud case that has tarnished the Hall of Famer’s reputation.
A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports tweeted, “Brett Favre’s lead attorney asks judge presiding over lawsuit brought by Mississippi’s welfare agency over misspent funds to lift the gag order so the Hall of Famer can correct or deny ‘statements made about him in the media.'”
NEW on @FOS: Brett Favre's lead attorney asks judge presiding over lawsuit brought by Mississippi's welfare agency over misspent funds to lift the gag order so the Hall of Famer can correct or deny "statements made about him in the media." https://t.co/JLUjszQtQW
— A.J. Perez (@byajperez) June 26, 2023
Favre has been embroiled in scandal since his name appeared in a bombshell 2020 New York Times report on the audit that revealed the largest welfare fraud scandal in Mississippi history. Favre is alleged to have been connected to $8 million in misappropriated welfare funds. While the former Green Bay Packers quarterback paid some of that money back, the $5 million used to build a new volleyball center at Favre’s alma mater Southern Mississippi has put him under intense scrutiny.
“Defendant Favre respectfully seeks a modification of the Court’s Suppression Order to the extent it prevents Mr. Favre from responding to–in particular, correcting or denying–statements made about him in the media. The principle behind the Suppression Order–to ‘ensure that the parties herein receive a fair and impartial trial’–is of course worthy.
“However, there has been a tremendous amount of negative publicity about Mr. Favre, not least because State Auditor Shad White and others have been continually telling the media falsehoods about Mr. Favre,'” a court filing that was filed to the Circuit Court of Hinds County, Mississippi in the First Judicial District on Friday, June 23, 2023, wrote.
Brett Favre has fervently and repeatedly denied the accusations against him.