JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre is asking to be removed from a civil lawsuit by the state of Mississippi that seeks to recover millions of dollars in misspent welfare money that was intended to help some of the poorest people in the U.S. An attorney for Favre filed papers Monday saying the Mississippi Department of Human Services “groundlessly and irresponsibly seeks to blame Favre for its own grossly improper and unlawful handling of welfare funds and its own failure to properly monitor and audit” how organizations used the money. It was not immediately clear how soon a judge might consider the request.

Previously

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — New court documents show retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre texted the Mississippi governor in 2019 to ask about getting money from the state’s welfare agency to build an indoor practice facility for the University of Southern Mississippi’s football team. The governor at the time, Republican Phil Bryant, texted back to tell Favre that federal money for children and low-income adults is “tightly controlled” and “improper use could result in violation of Federal Law.” This happened two years after the director of the state Department of Human Services committed welfare money to a volleyball arena that was Favre’s pet project. Court documents were filed Friday by attorneys for the former governor.

Previously

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Newly revealed text messages show how deeply involved a Mississippi governor was in directing more than $1 million in welfare money to retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre. Instead of the money going to help low-income families in one of the nation’s poorest states, as intended, it was funneled through a nonprofit group to Favre and was spent on a new volleyball facility at a university both men attended. The 2017 texts show Republican Gov. Phil Bryant was “on board” with the plan. Bryant’s left office in 2020. The state is suing Favre and others, alleging that they misspent welfare money. The director of the nonprofit has pleaded guilty to criminal charges.