Brett Favre Repays $600K in Mississippi Welfare Case; State Still Seeking Interest

Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre repaid $600,000 in welfare money to the state of Mississippi this week.

According to ESPN.com, auditor Shad White confirmed the payment but noted that he sent Favre a letter on Oct. 12, informing him he owed $828,000 because of $228,000 in accrued interest.

Favre was initially paid $1.1 million by the Mississippi Community Education Center for multiple speaking engagements but was asked to pay the money back since he didn't appear for them.

Regarding the outstanding $228,000 in interest, White said: "If he does not pay that within 30 days of our demand, the AG will be responsible for enforcing the payment of the interest in court."

White previously said Favre paid $500,000 of the $1.1 million he owed back in May 2020.

Favre tweeted in May 2020 that he was unaware of the $1.1 million he owed:

"My agent is often approached by different products and brands for me to appear in one way or another. This request was no different, and I did numerous ads for Families First. I have never received monies for obligations I didn't meet. To reiterate [Auditor Shad White's] statement, I was unaware that the money being dispersed was paid for out of funds not intended for that purpose, and because of that, I am refunding the full amount back to Mississippi.

"I have spent my entire career helping children through Favre 4 Hope donating nearly $10 million to underserved and underprivileged children in Mississippi and Wisconsin.

"It has brought a ton of joy to my life, and I would certainly never do anything to take away from the children I have fought to help! I love Mississippi and I would never knowingly do anything to take away from those that need it most."

The 52-year-old Favre is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, having earned 11 Pro Bowl nods, three first-team All-Pro selections, three NFL MVP awards and one Super Bowl championship during a 20-year career with the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings.

Favre, who is fourth on the NFL's all-time passing touchdowns list with 508 and holds the NFL record for most consecutive starts with 297, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.