PHOENIX — Pat McAfee told Front Office Sports 50 lawyers have offered to defend the punter-turned-sports media star from the defamation lawsuit filed by Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, whose legal team made another courtroom maneuver on Friday.
McAfee touched on the lawsuit early in Friday’s “Pat McAfee Show,” telling his listeners and viewers he’s “excited” to see how the lawsuit filed against him in a Mississippi county court would turn out.
“I’ll see you in court, pal,” McAfee proclaimed.
Favre sued McAfee, FS1’s Shannon Sharpe, and Mississippi State Auditor Shad White for defamation over comments they made related to Favre’s alleged ties to the Mississippi welfare scandal.
Favre’s legal team sent two letters each to McAfee and Sharpe, demanding them to retract their statements about Favre and apologize to the former Green Bay Packers great. In the two letters to McAfee, Favre’s attorneys also demanded McAfee delete any episodes that referenced Favre.
“Honestly, I was like, ‘Oh, this has gotta be fake,’” McAfee told FOS. “I thought it was like [WWE commentator] Michael Cole or maybe [former NFL kicker Adam] Vinatieri. There are humans in my life who would certainly go through a lot of things just to be like, ‘Oh, I got you.’ I thought it was a rib.”
“But I guess this is real life. It’s part of my life now, you know?”
Favre hasn’t been charged, although he is among several defendants in a lawsuit filed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS).
Favre has been linked to about $8 million in misspent welfare funds.
- Favre allegedly pushed for $5 million from MDHS to construct a volleyball center at the University of Southern Mississippi. TANF funds can’t be used for brick-and-mortar projects.
- Favre was paid $1.1 million to conduct speeches he did not do. He repaid that amount to the state.
- Prevacus, a pharma company Favre backed, received $2.1 million. Prevacus developed two concussion-related products, but neither product has made it to market.
Favre has denied knowing the source of the funds came from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
On Friday, Favre’s attorneys filed another motion to dismiss their client as a defendant in the lawsuit.
“Favre had no control whatsoever over MDHS’s funds, he did not know that the funds at issue were welfare funds, and he did not have any reason to know that the funds were being misused—and MDHS does not and cannot allege that he did,” Favre’s attorney wrote in the filing obtained by FOS.
“Favre, who is not a lawyer, would not have had any reason to suspect that MDHS and the various state officials and lawyers involved in planning, reviewing, and approving using ‘grant funds.’”
Mississippi Today was the first outlet to report the filing.
