Brett Favre has withdrawn the defamation case against Pat McAfee, the YouTube presenter announced on Thursday.
McAfee, a former NFL gambler turned sports media personality, had been sued by the former quarterback for statements made on his talk show about Favre’s involvement in a $77 million social fraud scheme in Mississippi.
The Pat McAfee Show host revealed in a video shared on social media that the NFL Hall of Famer has dropped the case without a settlement being paid.
“As many of you know, Brett Favre sued me because of statements I made about him on this program,” McAfee began while addressing fans in the clip.
As I have confirmed in my pleadings and I repeat here, my statements, expressed in a comedic style, were based solely on public information and allegations. As I’ve said before, I have immense respect for Brett Favre, the football player and his Hall of Fame career on the field, and I have no personal knowledge of the case Brett was involved in Mississippi.
Brett Favre (right) has withdrawn defamation suit against Pat McAfee (left), YouTube host says
“I am pleased to report that, solely on the basis that I have re-clarified these points, Brett is now withdrawing his lawsuit against me with no settlement paid.”
He added: “I’d rather talk about sports than litigation so I’m glad we’re all over this. We’re moving on now.’
Favre also confirmed the news, claiming he was “happy” to have resolved the dispute with the YouTube host.
“I’m glad Pat McAfee and I settled this lawsuit,” the Packers legend tweeted.
Like Pat said, he was trying to be funny and not commenting based on any personal knowledge. We both much prefer to talk about football.’
McAfee filed a motion last month to dismiss the case for a second time, alleging that Favre continued to “portray himself as the defamatory victim of two singled out statements and a tweet allegedly made by McAfee,” of which the alleged submission had been made. out of context.
The motion labeled the lawsuit “worthless” and stressed the importance of protecting freedom of expression.
McAfee first filed a request to dismiss the lawsuit in late March, with his attorneys arguing that Favre’s complaint failed to satisfy alleged malice, which is a necessary part of a libel lawsuit involving a plaintiff who is a public defender. figure is. on the amended charge of the Packers legend.
McAfee previously filed a request to dismiss the case, claiming that Favre “painted” himself as a victim
“Hello beautiful people,” McAfee announced in a lengthy Twitter post in March. “Just a few moments ago I filed for dismissal from a federal court in the beautiful state of Mississippi over Brett Favre’s defamation lawsuit against me… From the very beginning I thought the lawsuit against me was a joke.”
McAfee ended his tweet by referring to the allegations against Favre: “Cheers to everyone, and let’s not forget to take care of each other…and not allegedly steal from those who need it most…”
Also included in McAfee’s announcement was a challenge to Favre: “Brett, match me with a donation to a Big Brothers Big Sisters foundation in Mississippi. Let’s help the next generation of Mississippians together. Let’s give some support to the citizens of your state who might need it a little bit, and let’s make something positive out of this sad clown show of a defamation case without merit.”
Favre originally filed defamation lawsuits against two former NFL players turned media personalities — Fox Sports’ Shannon Sharpe and McAfee — as well as Mississippi Auditor Shad White over allegations that he knowingly used social funds for those personal projects.
Sharpe called Favre a “sleazeball” on his FS1 show in September, accusing the retired quarterback of knowingly stealing $1.1 million in welfare funds from Mississippi in exchange for speeches he never gave. McAfee accused him of “stealing the poor people of Mississippi,” while White claimed that Favre knew the origins of the social funds.
Favre has not been charged in the $77 million welfare fraud case, which has already resulted in several guilty pleas, and he has repaid the $1.1 million he received for no-show speaking appearances and radio ads.
Favre used social funds to help pay for a volleyball gym at Southern Miss, his alma mater
However, in December, Mississippi issued a new $5 million demand as part of the lawsuit against Favre, saying he used poverty relief funds to pay for the volleyball arena.
Earlier last month, Mississippi’s Department of Human Services ordered a state judge to ignore Favre’s request to be struck from the civil suit seeking to recover misused welfare money.
The scandal is Mississippi’s largest-ever public corruption case, wasting millions in federal assistance on projects supported by some of the state’s wealthiest and well-connected citizens, including Favre.
Favre’s attorneys, including former Donald Trump attorney Eric Herschmann, have argued that the Department of Human Services is suing their client for deviating from their own negligence because they failed to notice the fraud when it occurred. Favre’s defense team has filed a number of requests asking the judge to fire Favre.