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Brett Favre Tweets He Was Unaware About $1.1M Payment for Unattended Events
May 7, 2020
Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre says he had no knowledge of $1.1 million in payouts he received for speaking engagements he never attended.
Writing about the situation on Twitter, Favre explained he was "unaware" of the funds received and is refunding the amount in full back to the state of Mississippi:
"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."
On Wednesday, Mississippi state auditor Shad White announced his office received a $500,000 payment and a commitment to pay another $600,000 over the next few months from Favre.
White's office released a report Monday that showed the Mississippi Department of Human Services paid out $94 million in welfare funds to two nonprofit organizations that misused the money.
John Davis, the state's former Department of Human Services director, was arrested in February along with five others on embezzlement charges after they allegedly misused $4 million in funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
The audit noted Favre Enterprises received two payments totaling $1.1 million for events, including three speaking engagements, one radio appearance and one keynote address that "a cursory review" showed the former Green Bay Packers star never attended.
Favre wasn't accused of any wrongdoing in the situation.