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Hall of Fame ex-Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre is linked to another significant scandal in his home state of Mississippi.
In 2020, Favre made headlines for receiving $1.1 million in state welfare funds in exchange for appearances he never made. The former QB denied knowledge of where those funds came from and eventually paid that money back.
Now, a detailed April 4 report by Anna Wolfe of Mississippi Today looks at Favre’s alleged role in a new scandal involving the biomedical startup Prevacus — in which Favre is an investor — the misappropriation of public welfare funds and former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant.
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Favre ‘Tried to Cash in’ on Prevacus Venture, Report Says
According to Mississippi Today, Bryant, who is no longer governor, “used the authority of his office, the weight of his political influence and the power of his connections to help” Favre “boost a fledgling pharmaceutical venture.”
That venture is Prevacus, a drug developed to limit the effects of damage attained from traumatic brain injuries/concussions. Wolf’s report alleges Favre may have leaned on his friend, then-governor Bryant, for favors and political influence to help the drug get the approvals and funding it needed.
“It’s 3rd and long and we need you to make it happen!!” Favre texted Bryant in December of 2018, according to text messages uncovered by Mississippi Today. “I will open a hole,” Bryant responded, per those texts.
“For years Favre has raised public awareness about the epidemic of concussions, which he’s suffered from himself, but his conversations … about Prevasol revolved more around him making money. He once said by text that his goal was to walk away with $20 million,” the report states.
The Use of Public Funds Doesn’t Look Good
A key figure named in the Mississippi Today report is Nancy New, the nonprofit director who owned the Mississippi Community Education Center, which was in charge of distributing millions of dollars in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) throughout the state.
Prosecutors are alleging New took $2.15 million in funds meant for the most underserved members of the population and used them instead to invest in Prevasol. She now faces bribery, racketeering and embezzlement charges. While Favre or Bryant are not accused of committing any crimes, Wolfe’s report doesn’t paint either man in a flattering light.
Favre Knew About Misappropriation of Funds, Report Alleges
Per Wolfe’s report, “newly uncovered text messages show that, at the very least, Favre told Bryant that New had started funneling public funding to the drug company shortly after he began advocating on its behalf.”
Bryant also bought stock in the drug company just days after he left office, which he admits doesn’t look good. It also doesn’t look good that it was New’s nonprofit that had also given Favre the aforementioned $1.1 million in grant funds to speak publicly.
For his part, former Governor Bryant told Mississippi Today that “he never intended on accepting stock in Prevacus and did not read his texts carefully enough to pick up on the fact that the company had received public funding in the first place.”
According to Mississippi Today, state taxpayers will “likely be on the hook to pay back all or some of” the funds that were misspent.
Heavy has reached out to Favre for comment. We have not heard back.
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