Retired NFL star Brett Favre is suing Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe and the nominated Pat McAfee after speaking on his legal issues.
Favre is going after Sharpe and McAfee for defamation, filing separate suits on Thursday. Favre alleges that both men used their massive platforms to obscure his name when they spoke negatively about the legal drama he is in with the state of Mississippi. Sharpe hosts the “Club Shay Shay” podcast and “Undisputed” on Fox Sports 1. McAfee is the host of the “Pat McAfee Show” on YouTube.
Both men have slammed Favre for the Mississippi situation, in which Favre allegedly helped misdirect welfare funds to build a volleyball stadium at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi. In addition, an audit found that the Mississippi Department of Human Services fund, which covered the tab for the court, also paid Favre an additional $1 million for promotional content to spread awareness about the program. Favre was an advocate for the volleyball court being constructed after his daughter enrolled in the school.
During one September 2022 “Undisputed” episode, Sharpe called Favre a “sleazeball” who knew he was embezzling money from needy families. McAfee also took to his show, reiterating that Favre was “stealing from the poor people of Mississippi.” The former quarterback has denied all wrongdoing. A spokesperson for Favre told DailyMail.com that both Sharpe and McAfee had used Favre to “further their careers” by making “baseless” claims against him on their shows. However, the men did not come up with the story out of thin air.
The state of Mississippi filed a civil lawsuit against Favre and several others, accusing all parties involved of misappropriating over $20 million from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families anti-poverty program. He has since filed to have the suit dismissed.
