Former NFL quarterbackBrett Favre’s SiriusXM radio show and ESPN Milwaukee show have both been put on hold as news ofhis involvement in a Mississippi welfare fraud scandalcontinues to emerge.
On Sunday, a SiriusXM spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE that 52-year-old Favre’sThe SiriusXM Blitz With Brett Favre and Bruce Murray, which released its most recent episode on Sept. 13, has been put on hold.
Favre, who played for the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings over a 20-year NFL career, has been hosting the show since 2018, according toThe Hollywood Reporter.
On Sunday,NBC Sportsreported that ESPN Milwaukee had temporarily suspendedThe Brett Favre Show, Favre’s Green Bay Packers show.
A rep for Favre did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment Monday.
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Favre and ex-Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant allegedly plotted together to use welfare funds meant for poor residents in Mississippi to build a new volleyball stadium, according to an investigative report fromMississippi Todaypublished on Sept. 13.
Based on never-before-seen text messages sent between Favre and Bryant, 67, from 2017 to 2019, it appeared thatthe former Packers quarterbackmay have collaborated with Bryant to funnel at least $5 million of the state’s welfare funds to build the stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter played volleyball.
Brett Favre.Thearon W. Henderson/Getty
The texts were filed Sept. 12 as part of Mississippi’s ongoing lawsuit over incorrectly used welfare funds. An attorney representing nonprofit founder Nancy New, who has already pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts of bribery, fraud and racketeering for taking part in the scheme, submitted the text messages.
In the released texts, Favre asks New, who is the founder of the Mississippi Community Education Center and was hired to distribute the welfare funds to help the state, “If you were to pay me is there anyway media can find out where it came from and how much?”
Favre, who played football for the school, was credited for raising money to fund the stadium project.
Brett Favre.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
While New pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts following the scam, neither Bryant nor Favre have been charged with any crime, perYahoo! News.
Favre’s attorney, Bud Holmes, toldMississippi Todaythat the athlete did not know that the funding came from the state’s welfare fund.
Favre repaid the speaking fees, but not an additional $228,000 in interest the Mississippi state auditor demanded, according to NBC News.
According toU.S. Census Bureau data, Mississippi has the highest poverty rate in the United States.
source: people.com
