Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre has sued former NFL star and current WWE commentator Pat McAfee. He has also sued Shannon Sharpe. The former quarterback, embroiled for months in a scandal regarding the alleged misappropriation of welfare funds intended for Mississippi residents.
Brett Favre sued Shannon Thorpe and Pat McAfee for defamation
He sued the stars for defamation of character, based on things they have allegedly said about him in connection with the Mississippi welfare situation.
“Shannon Sharpe and Pat McAfee tried to further their careers by making baseless defamatory allegations against Brett Favre,” a Favre spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
The alleged defamation traces to a failure to exercise caution when speaking about Favre’s situation. He has always claimed that he did not know the source of funding for payments made both to him and to the University of Southern Mississippi. He also has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing. Whenever discussing Favre’s situation, it’s important to point that out.
Sharpe, according the article regarding the lawsuit, allegedly called Favre a “sleazeball” on FS1 in September 2022, while also accusing Favre of knowingly stealing $1.1 million in Mississippi welfare funds for speeches Favre never made. McAfee allegedly accused Favre of “stealing from the poor people of Mississippi.”
“Every time his name gets brought up, we have to mention that he tied the hands of the poor people and took money right out of their pockets,” McAfee said about Favre, per the report regarding the lawsuit.
It’s always a challenge for a public figure to prove defamation. Favre will be required to show that Sharpe and McAfee acted with actual malice, which in this context means proving that they knew or should have known that the statements were false. Also, when it comes to the issue of proving legal damages, Favre will have to show harm to his existing reputation.
