Brett Favre’s SiriusXM show has been put on hold following his involvement in a Mississippi welfare fraud scandal, a company spokesperson confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
The news follows the decision by ESPN Milwaukee to suspend his weekly Packers recap program The Brett Favre Show, according to NBC Sports. The ex-footballer, who also played for the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Jets has hosted the NFL show The SiriusXM Blitz With Brett Favre and Bruce Murray since 2018. The show airs on Tuesdays and released its most recent broadcast on Sept. 13.
In May, the former NFL quarterback — along with 37 other individuals and organizations — was sued by the Mississippi Department of Human Services for allegedly misusing millions in state welfare funding for personal projects. In Favre’s case, that included allegedly rerouting $5 million in aid toward the construction of a volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi, where Favre’s daughter played.
Favre was also interviewed by the FBI, which his lawyer confirmed to NBC News in a Sept. 1 report. The federal agency spoke with the NFL Hall of Famer over the more than $1 million in speaking fees he was paid by the state of Mississippi for motivational talks he didn’t deliver, according to the Mississippi state auditor.
The former Green Bay player denied any wrongdoing at the time and his lawyer Bud Holmes told NBC News that Favre had not been charged with or accused of a crime or made aware the money was intended to help low-income children.
The investigation into his speaking fees dates back to 2020, with that money also taken out of the state’s welfare fund. The NFL quarterback was ordered to pay back the speaking fees with interest and has since paid the fees, but not the interest.
In a report published on Sept. 13 by Mississippi Today, text messages allegedly show the former quarterback working with former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant Bryant, along with former executive director of Mississippi’s Department of Human Services John Davis and founder of nonprofit Mississippi Community Education Nancy New to allegedly divert state welfare funds.
That money was part of a federal program known as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which financially assists states with supporting low-income families with children.
The pause of Favre’s SiriusXM show follows Bryant pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, as well as theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, the Department of Justice announced on Sept. 22.
