Brett Favre welfare scandal; former Packers star testifies at Congressional hearing
MILWAUKEE - Brett Favre announced on Tuesday, Sept. 24, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease during a congressional hearing.
The hearing focused on preventing the misuse of welfare funds, something state officials accuse Favre of doing in Mississippi.
Brett Favre testifies at congressional hearing
The state auditor there found Favre received a little more than $8 million intended for the poorest people in one of the nation's poorest states.
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Prosecutors have not criminally charged Favre, and he denies knowing the money was for welfare. But he told Congress it should do something to prevent this from happening again.
He was at one point the epitome of perseverance, a gunslinger revered by any fan of the green and gold. But on Tuesday, one of the NFL's best quarterbacks tried his hand at defense because of the welfare scandal.
In 2020, the state auditor found $77 million from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) never went to those families, and a little more than $8 million made its way to Favre.
"States have too much flexibility on how they spend this money, which leads to waste and abuse," he said. "When this started, I didn't know what TANF was. Now I know that TANF is one of the country's most important welfare programs to help people in need."
Brett Favre shares Parkinson's diagnosis; experts discuss disease
Brett Favre announced he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease during a congressional hearing about his alleged misuse of welfare funds.
The $8 million included $1.1 million for speaking appearances he never made, $5 million for a volleyball facility at his daughter's university and $2.2 million for a drug company he invested in that was working on a breakthrough concussion drug.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android.
A.J. Perez is a senior investigative reporter at Front Office Sports, who's followed the state's civil lawsuit in which Favre is a defendant. He said the case has revealed a lack of accountability on that money, though it's odd to have Favre as the spokesperson for change.
"We don't really have an idea why he was called as an expert witness on welfare reform," Perez said. "He's a well-connected individual. There are many well-connected individuals in Mississippi who took advantage of this."
Favre did repay the $1.1 million he personally received. The Mississippi state auditor said he still owes north of $700,000 of interest on that money.
But Favre disagrees, arguing he doesn't owe that money.