Brett Favre is an NFL legend. The 20-year veteran played football with genuine joy and enthusiasm and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
Since retiring, he’s been involved in multiple major scandals, one of which was the subject of a recent “Untold” documentary on Netflix, and former quarterback Michael Vick called Favre “untouchable.”
Brett Favre’s Involvement in Mississippi Welfare Funds Scandal Subject of ‘Untold’ Documentary
A Mississippi native, Favre was a standout at Southern Mississippi before being drafted in the second round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He spent one season and threw four passes for the Atlanta Falcons before being traded to the Green Bay Packers for a first-round pick.
Favre filled in for the injured Doug Majkowski in Green Bay’s Week 3 game in 1992. He started the following week and never gave up the starting job the rest of his time in Green Bay.
He made the Pro Bowl in 1992, and his legend continued to grow over the next five years. Favre was named first-team All-Pro and NFL MVP three years in a row from 1995 to 1997. He led the Packers to a Super Bowl 31 victory, and another Super Bowl appearance the following year.
He is an all-time legend in Green Bay, leading the league in touchdowns four times as a Packer, and setting the NFL career record for interceptions with 336. He retired following the 2007 season, announced his return, and was traded to the New York Jets before the 2008 season. Favre played two years for the Minnesota Vikings before officially filing retirement papers in the 2011 offseason.
Favre has been involved in multiple scandals both during and after his playing days. He admitted to an addiction to painkillers early in his career and spent 46 days in a rehab facility in 1996.
He was part of a sexting investigation in 2010 stemming from allegations during his time with the Jets. He was accused of sending inappropriate messages and pictures to team employee Jenn Sterger. The investigation failed to prove that Favre sent any inappropriate messages.
His most recent scandal pertains to welfare funds from the state of Mississippi, where Favre is accused of leading projects that took about $77 million from the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families fund. $5 million of that is said to have been used to build a volleyball stadium at Southern Mississippi, when his daughter was on the team.
The case is the subject of a recent “Untold” documentary, and People Magazine‘s Sean Neumann recently broke down the documentary. Vick appeared in the documentary and was quoted by Neumann, “People go to jail for stealing money everyday. If it’s that important, the right institutions can get involved. But, you know, some people are untouchable in certain ways and that’s just the way it is.
“I just think that’s kinda how the system is rigged. You know, some situations have to be played out in court. Some have to be played out in the public.”
Neumann also quoted Mississippi Representative Bennie Thompson, “Brett Favre, with his name, ID, and reputation, could have done a lot of good for a state like Mississippi. But he didn’t. He took advantage of the people who were on that path and struggling. If you are perceived as a superstar and you’re white, in many instances you get a pass. Brett Favre is getting a pass.”
Thompson added, “In certain circles, he’s still an icon. That doesn’t mean that he can’t do wrong. He did do wrong. I don’t know how he sleeps at night.”
Favre repaid $1.1 million he received for speaking engagements that he never showed up for, and is still listed as a defendant in the civil aspect of this case. Vick could be correct, saying Favre is “untouchable,” but the Hall of Famer is not in the clear yet.
