Texts: Mississippi ex-governor knew of Favre welfare money

JACKSON, Miss. - Newly revealed text messages show how deeply involved a Mississippi governor was in directing more than $1 million in welfare money to Brett Favre to help pay for one of the retired NFL quarterback's pet projects.

Instead of the money going to help low-income families in one of the nation's poorest states, as intended, it was funneled through a nonprofit group and was spent on a new $5 million volleyball facility at a university that the football star and the governor both attended.

One of the texts from 2017 showed Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who left office in 2020, was "on board" with the arrangement. The state is suing Favre and others, alleging they misspent millions of dollars in welfare money. The director of the nonprofit has pleaded guilty to criminal charges in Mississippi's largest public corruption case in decades.

https://www.startribune.com/texts-mississippi-ex-governor-knew-of-favre-welfare-money/600206792/