Federal Judge Dismisses Brett Favre’s Defamation Lawsuit Against Shannon Sharpe
A federal judge in Mississippi has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by former NFL player Brett Favre against fellow retired player Shannon Sharpe. The judge ruled that Sharpe’s comments on a sports broadcast criticizing Favre’s involvement in a welfare misspending case were protected under the First Amendment.
U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett determined that Sharpe’s remarks on air were “rhetorical hyperbole” and did not constitute defamation. Sharpe had accused Favre of “taking from the underserved” and stealing money from those in need. The judge stated that these statements were colorful speech referring to the diversion of funds meant for underprivileged families.
Favre initiated the lawsuit in February, alleging that Sharpe had made false statements about him on the Fox Sports talk show “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed.” The case was later moved to federal court, and Sharpe left the show in June.
The discussion surrounding Mississippi welfare spending took place following extensive news coverage of allegations in the state’s largest public corruption case. Mississippi Auditor Shad White revealed that over $77 million from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program had been misspent between 2016 and 2019. Prosecutors claimed that the funds were directed to nonprofit organizations favored by influential individuals, including a $5 million volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi, which Favre had agreed to raise money for.
Judge Starrett’s ruling emphasized that Sharpe’s remarks were not to be taken literally. He stated that no reasonable person would believe that Favre had personally taken money from poor individuals in Mississippi. The judge concluded that Sharpe’s statements were constitutionally protected speech.
Following the dismissal of the lawsuit, Sharpe took to Twitter to express his gratitude to his legal team. Favre’s attorney, Michael Shemper, has not yet commented on the ruling.
Although Favre is not facing criminal charges, he is one of several individuals and businesses being sued by the state to recover misspent welfare funds. In addition to Sharpe, Favre had previously filed defamation lawsuits against Auditor Shad White and sportscaster Pat McAfee. The case against McAfee was dropped in May after he issued an apology, while the lawsuit against White is still ongoing.
Favre has already repaid $1.1 million in speaking fees that he received from a nonprofit group involved in the misspending. The Mississippi Department of Human Services approved the use of TANF funds for these payments, despite Favre never actually delivering the speeches. The department has also demanded up to $5 million from Favre and a university sports foundation, claiming that welfare money was improperly used to fund a volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi. Text message exchanges between Favre and others have been presented as evidence in the ongoing civil lawsuit.
