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Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre made a career out of eluding pressure in the NFL.
Now it appears he may be set to do so in the court room as well.
Favre has spent the last 18 months at the heart of a scandal involving misappropriation of Mississippi state welfare funds.
The gunslinger reportedly received millions from the state for speaking engagements that he never actually performed. He then funneled that money toward the construction of a new Southern Miss University volleyball facility. Favre is a graduate of the school and his daughter played volleyball at the university.
But now it appears he may never actually face any legal consequences.
A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports reports that Mississippi attorney general Lynn Fitch is hesitant to actually pursue a conviction of Favre.
“Several other charges — even a handful from the Justice Department — followed, but there’s been one agency that has remained almost entirely hands-off: the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office led by Lynn Fitch,” Perez writes. “Fitch, whose spokesperson did not respond to Front Office Sports for this story, tapped outside law firms to handle the lawsuit that seeks to recover more than $77 million from 47 defendants, including Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. Her office also hasn’t criminally charged anyone connected to the misuse of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds.”
Fitch recently defeated Democratic opponent Greta Kemp Martin to maintain her position. But Kemp Martin to Front Office Sports that her opponent must be accountable to the state’s residents.
“When you have Mississippians harmed, [the AG’s office] should be right on top of these types of cases,” Kemp Martin said. “She has not in any way explained to Mississippians why she kicked the can down the road. Fitch has been hands-off and quiet about this.”
Favre previously appeared in a public service announcement alongside Fitch, even after accusations of his involvement in the welfare funds scandal.
“Right now, calling the shots is Lynn Fitch, our Attorney General, and I’m going to pass it over to Lynn now,” Favre said in the ad, which was produced by Fitch’s office.
Favre still has to deal with an ongoing federal investigation. But it appears he may well be in the clear in Mississippi.