JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Let's talk federal welfare spending or perhaps misspending. In Mississippi between 2016 and 2019, more than $90 million was diverted from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program, or TANF, to other entities. Notably, some of the money helped build a volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi. The state of Mississippi sued more than 40 people in the case, including NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre. Well, Favre testified today at a congressional hearing that was about welfare accountability. Mike McEwen with Mississippi Public Broadcasting is here to catch us up. Hey there.
MIKE MCEWEN, BYLINE: Hey. How you doing?
SUMMERS: I'm well. Hey, can you just start by telling us, why was Brett Favre in this hearing today?
MCEWEN: So Brett Favre is accused by Mississippi officials of knowingly receiving millions of federal TANF funds, also known as welfare funds. In specific, he got more than $1 million in speaking fees for events that he never actually attended. And as was mentioned in the intro, about $5 million in TANF funds were redirected to the University of Southern Mississippi, where Brett Favre was an alumnus and where his daughter was on the volleyball team at the time, to fund a new volleyball stadium.
And this was all discovered in 2020 in an audit that was conducted by the state of Mississippi. What they found is that through two nonprofits, several high-profile figures in the state were able to access these funds that were supposed to go to some of the neediest Mississippians. Among them is Brett Favre and a couple of professional wrestlers.
SUMMERS: The big headline in the sports world today at least was that during the hearing, Brett Favre revealed that he has Parkinsons. Can you tell us what he said about that?
MCEWEN: Yeah. So Favre led into that by explaining that he had an investment in a startup pharmaceutical company that was working on developing drugs to treat concussions. He had made that investment in 2014. In 2018, text messages show that he connected then-Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant with the head of this company. The result of that was federal funds going to the company, and Favre explained his involvement in the hearing today this way.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
BRETT FAVRE: Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others. And I'm sure you'll understand why it's too late for me because I've recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's.
MCEWEN: And it's worth noting here that what causes Parkinson's disease is still unknown, and it's unclear if Favre's disease is connected to his football career or any head injuries.
SUMMERS: How did lawmakers today react to Favre's testimony?
MCEWEN: It was really varied on the committee. Several Republicans chose to use their time to joke with Favre about his NFL playing career, and they also did not fault him for any involvement in the case. Rather, they seemed more interested in what he thought needed to be done in order to safeguard welfare funds. On the other hand, Democratic members asked why the GOP-led committee even invited him, and they said he had no credentials or experience in the regulation of welfare funds at all.
SUMMERS: Quickly, I'll just note this case in Mississippi has been developing since it was revealed back in 2020. What's next?
MCEWEN: Well, at this time, Brett Favre doesn't face any criminal charges for his role in the scandal, but he is still required to pay more than $700,000 in interest back to the state.
SUMMERS: Mike McEwen with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, thank you.
MCEWEN: You're welcome.
(SOUNDBITE OF GHOSTFACE KILLAH & BADBADNOTGOOD SONG, "STREET KNOWLEDGE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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