Brett Favre Stole Millions of Dollars Meant for Mississippi Welfare Recipients

After retiring from the NFL, Brett Favre was remembered as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. In the years since, though, his reputation has been tarnished by a scandal in which he made millions of dollars that were meant to go to welfare recipients.

In September of 2024, Favre was called before Congress to discuss his role in the scandal but revealed during his testimony that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. That became the major news out of his testimony and naturally left many wondering what the actual scandal he was there to discuss was about.

The Brett Favre welfare scandal, explained.

Favre was called before Congress because documents showed that he had received more than $1 million in welfare funding that was meant to go toward those in need in the state of Mississippi. Texts that were revealed as part of the investigation revealed that Favre sought to keep his receipt of the money confidential, and also suggested that he advocated for more of the money to be allocated to allies and friends.

During his testimony, though, Favre suggested that he didn't understand where the money was coming from. He has since paid the money back but is being sued by the state of Mississippi for hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest that they say they are owed on the money he improperly received. Favre has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing, and his testimony suggested that he was as much a victim here as those who had not received their welfare funding.

Favre was involved in stealing money for TANF funds.

The text messages show that Favre was working with Human Services executive John Davis and nonprofit director Nancy New to raise funds for a new volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi, where one of Favre's daughters plays volleyball. New and Davis were both arrested for misusing federal money that is part of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which provides a block grant to every state.

Favre was also paid $1.1 million in speaking fees, which is the money he has paid back, and has maintained that he didn't know the origin of the money that was ultimately used for the volleyball facility.

In his testimony, Favre suggested that additional regulations might need to be put in place to make sure that the money cannot be misspent moving forward.

Mississippi, which is one of the poorest states in the nation, is more in need of its TANF funding than most states, which only makes the misuse of those funds feel all the more deplorable. While Favre is just one small piece of the story, there have been consistent doubts about whether he's being honest about not knowing where the money was coming from.

Regardless, the reforms he advocates for could work to improve the state of welfare in America. What's also clear, though, is that Favre's political beliefs suggest that he would welfare be eliminated altogether.