Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre has had his podcast and local ESPN radio show put on hold as he faces allegations of welfare fraud, according to Front Office Sports.
The legendary Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, and Minnesota Vikings quarterback has not appeared on his SiriusXM podcast since Sept. 13. Meanwhile, ESPN Milwaukee confirmed Favre's radio broadcast had been "paused" on their end.
It comes after incriminating text messages between former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant and Favre were made public earlier this month, Mississippi Today reported at the time.
The messages showed Favre, former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, former state welfare head John Davis, and businesswoman Nancy New seemingly working together to allocate $5 million in state welfare funds toward a new volleyball stadium.
"Just left Brett Favre," Bryant texted New, the operator of a private nonprofit that handled tens of millions of flexible federal welfare dollars. "Can we help him with his project? We should meet soon to see how I can make sure we keep your projects on course."
Favre's daughter notably attends the same college, the University of Southern Mississippi, where the stadium was planned to be built. He also attended the same school himself during the 1980s.
The leaked messages are part of an ongoing civil lawsuit by Mississippi's Department of Human Services, which is attempting to take back more than $20 million in misallocated funds. According to auditors, the actual amount mishandled could be closer to $77 million.
"The evidence suggests that MDHS Executives, including Governor Bryant, knew that Favre was seeking funds from MDHS to build the Volleyball Facility … and participated in directing, approving, or providing Favre MDHS funds to be used for construction of the Volleyball Facility," a court filing read.