Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre’s weekly SiriusXM radio show is being put on hold after it was revealed that the athlete was tied to welfare fraud in Mississippi. A rep for the broadcasting company shared the decision on Sunday (Sept. 25) with Variety.
Court filings show that former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant told Favre in text messages that using state welfare funds to build new sports facilities at the University of Southern Mississippi could be illegal. The Hall of Famer told his attorney he was unaware of the origin of the money. Local outlet Mississippi Today revealed Favre’s involvement could be the biggest case of welfare fraud the state has ever seen. The total amount misused is at least $77 million.
News of Favre’s scandal went public around the same time Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka found himself in hot water for cheating on fiancée Nia Long with a female NBA staffer. At first, Favre’s news was overshadowed by Udoka’s story. However, soon, many wondered why the former footballer wasn’t getting as much backlash as Udoka.
Many on social media called out the issue of race. Favre, who is white, was getting hardly any news coverage, while Udoka, a Nigerian-American, was a front-page story: “This Ime Udoka news making more headlines than the Brett Favre news [tells] you everything that you need to know.”
Another tweet read, “Ime Udoka possibly or allegedly had a relationship with another consenting adult that violated company policy. This should not be more important than Brett Favre stealing millions in welfare funds from poor minorities for a volleyball stadium.”
The former Green Bay Packers quarterback has been featured on “The SiriusXM Blitz With Brett Favre and Bruce Murray” radio show since 2018. The rep who revealed that Favre’s appearances would be placed on hold pending the investigation declined to give further comment.