Brett Favre scandal gets even worse with latest details

The Brett Favre scandal is already bad enough, but the latest details from The Athletic confirm that it is even worse than we thought. 

When the welfare scandal surrounding Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre was first brought to light, disgust and disappointment were warranted.

Now, with new details uncovered by Katie Strang and Kalyn Kahler of The Athletic, it appears there is more to it, and none of it is pretty. It is reported that Favre’s foundation, Favre 4 Hope, donated more than $130,000 to the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation from 2018-2020.

"“Favre, a Southern Mississippi alumnus, is embroiled in a welfare scandal — extensively reported by nonprofit watchdog Mississippi Today — in which millions of dollars earmarked for people in need were misappropriated. Favre received $1.1 million for speeches he did not make, according to a state auditor report and court documents, and was instrumental in moving more than $5 million in welfare dollars toward the building of the volleyball facility while his daughter was a player on the USM volleyball team. He is among dozens of individuals and organizations being sued by the state. Favre paid back the $1.1 million, though the state says he still owes $228,000 in interest. He has not been charged with wrongdoing and posted on social media that he did not know where the funding for the volleyball facility came from.”"

The details are appalling, considering what Favre and former state governor Phil Bryant are involved in. Not to mention the humanitarian part of it. Mississippi is regarded as the poorest state in the United States, and for Favre to do this instead of providing proper resources for its residents is flabbergasting.

Dr. Rodney Bennett, former president of Southern Miss, has come out publicly and spoken about how he urged Favre not to engage in these activities.

"“I’ve asked Brett not to do the things he’s doing to seek funding from state agencies and the legislature for the volleyball facility,” Bennett wrote to Bryant in January 2020, according to court filings. “I will see for the ‘umpteenth time’ if we can get him to stand down."

The Brett Favre scandal continues to grow worse and worse by the minute

The Athletic also reported that former Mississippi Department of Human Services executive director John Davis, former USM athletic foundation board member Nancy New, and others were arrested for alleging a conspiracy to steal welfare funds.

New pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud charges and state charges on fraud, bribery, and racketeering. Also, earlier this month, Davis was sentenced to 32 years in state prison after pleading guilty to 20 federal and state charges of conspiracy and fraud.

But what does this mean for Brett Favre? For one, it means he should be serving prison time, mainly due to his actions, but it just goes to show how as a society, we tend to fall in love with one part of a person yet neglect to see the whole picture.

There is no denying that Favre was a fantastic football player, but his life outside of the game, including the Jenn Sterger incident while he was with the Jets. Yet, he is not above the law, and the law should leave no stone unturned when trying to get to the bottom of this and handing out punishment that should fit the crime.