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As it turns out, Pat McAfee isn’t a fan of former NFL stars who (allegedly) pocket misappropriated welfare funs.
And who could blame him?!
McAfee has been highly critical of Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre, who allegedly did just that and has spent the last two years or so under investigation by the state of Mississippi.
McAFee’s comments irked Favre so much so that the legendary gunslinger filed a massive defamation lawsuit against the former punter turned sports media mogul.
But McAfee isn’t backing down. Instead, he laughed off the suit, saying “See you in court, pal,” on an episode of his show.
Lawyers For Pat McAfee File Motion To Dismiss Against Brett Favre
Now it appears that Favre may never even get the opportunity to see McAfee in court. The latter’s lawyers filed a motion to dismiss on Friday according to A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports.
“In meritless cases like this one, there is a powerful interest in ensuring that free speech is not unduly burdened by the necessity of defending against expensive, baseless litigation. As a public figure bringing suit against a media defendant for reporting on matters of public concern, which are the subject of official proceedings and detailed at length in public records, Favre cannot state a claim for defamation upon which relief can be granted.” – Court filing by Pat McAfee’s lawyers
McAfee’s lawyers also claimed that Favre was trying to deflect attention away from himself with the lawsuit.
“The Mississippi welfare fraud scandal, as it has become publicly known, and specifically the MDHS Lawsuit and Favre’s involvement, has been the subject of intense public scrutiny and media attention for nearly three years. Favre’s attempt now to deflect attention away from MDHS’s highly publicized claims against him and to silence media defendants from
reporting on such claims should not be countenanced.”
I’m not legal expert. But it seems like Favre’s case may be shot here. As for McAfee, I’m not sure anything would deter him from dissing Favre even if he did lose the suit.