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SiriusXM has put Brett Favre’s show “on hold,” a company spokesperson confirmed to Front Office Sports on Sunday as the Mississippi welfare scandal continues to swirl.
Favre hasn’t appeared on Sirius XM since Sept. 13 and the company had been silent about the former Hall of Fame quarterback’s status. SiriusXM’s decision came a day after text messages reported by FOS showed Favre attempted to lobby Mississippi’s welfare agency to fund an indoor football facility at the University of Southern Mississippi.
ESPN Milwaukee also “paused” Brett Favre’s weekly radio appearances, a spokesperson for the station’s ownership group told FOS on Friday.
Good Karma Brands — which owns ESPN Milwaukee’s WKTI-FM and ESPN Radio stations in Denver, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other markets — becomes the first media outlet to sideline the former Green Bay Packers great since scrutiny intensified in recent weeks over Favre‘s ties to receiving funds earmarked for needy families in Mississippi.
Later Sunday, FOS learned that 33rdTeam — the last outlet that hadn’t responded about Favre’s status — has paused Favre’s deal with the company.
The last story Favre wrote for 33rdTeam, a football-focused website founded by former team execs Joe Banner and Mike Tannenbaum, was on Sept. 12
The spokesperson for Good Karma Brands did not cite the reason for keeping Favre off the air. Favre still remains on ESPN Milwaukee’s website, which lists his last appearance as Sept. 12.
A source with knowledge of the investigation told FOS that Favre remains on the radar of investigators in Mississippi.
On Thursday, John Davis, the former director of Mississippi’s Department of Human Services, pleaded guilty to 20 federal and state charges related to his role in the scheme.
About $77 million of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds were allegedly misspent in Mississippi from the federal program.
Much of the money was diverted to pet projects, including $5 million at Favre’s urging to build a volleyball complex at the University of Southern Mississippi where his daughter played the sport.
Editor’s note: This story was originally published on 9/23 and was updated with SiriusXM’s statement.
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