JACKSON, Miss. – The deposition in the civil lawsuit against retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre surrounding Mississippi's welfare scandal has been pushed back at the request of the athlete's attorneys, a court document shows.
Favre is set to answer questions under oath about misspending federal welfare money in Mississippi, where about $77 million in public funds intended to help some of the nation’s poorest people were used to fund pet projects Favre and other well-connected people are accused of supporting with the money. The Pro Football Hall of Famer is among more than three dozen defendants in a lawsuit the state Human Services director filed to recover some of the welfare money.
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Favre has denied wrongdoing, sued the state auditor who investigated the misspending for defamation and said he paid back misspent welfare funds.
A notice of deposition filed in Hinds County Circuit Court by attorneys for Mississippi’s Department of Human Services said Favre was scheduled to give sworn testimony on Oct. 26 at a hotel in Hattiesburg. A subsequent court document filed Friday shows the hearing has been rescheduled for Dec. 11 based on a request by Favre's lawyers.
Instead of going to needy families, about $5 million in welfare funds helped pay for a volleyball arena that Favre supported at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, investigators said. Favre’s daughter played volleyball at the school. Another $1.7 million went to develop a concussion treatment drug investigators have said Favre supported.
No criminal charges have been brought against Favre, although a former welfare department director and other people have pleaded guilty to their part in the misspending.