Former Mississippi governor helped Brett Favre obtain welfare funds for university volleyball stadium, texts show

An investigative report by Mississippi Today revealed Tuesday that former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant helped NFL legend Brett Favre obtain welfare funds in order to help build a new volleyball center at the University of Southern Mississippi.

The news organization reviewed text messages from 2017 and 2019 that were filed Monday in the state of Mississippi's civil lawsuit over misspent welfare funds. The texts were filed by an attorney representing Nancy New, who has already pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts of bribery, fraud and racketeering for her role in the welfare scheme. New was the founder of the Mississippi Community Education Center, which was tasked with spending tens of millions in federal welfare funds to help the state.

State auditors determined nonprofit leaders misspent at least $77 million in welfare funds in the largest case of public fraud in Mississippi history.

The texts show Favre, New and Bryant discussing how to divert at least $5 million in welfare funds to build a volleyball stadium at Southern Miss. Favre played football at Southern Miss, and his daughter was a volleyball player there at the time some of the texts were sent.

«If you were to pay me is there anyway the media can find out where it came from and how much?» Favre asked New in 2017.

After telling Favre that «we never have that information publicized,» she circled back to him the next day.

«Wow, just got off the phone with Phil Bryant! He is on board with us! We will get this done!» New told Favre.

In another text sent in July 2019, Bryant told New he had just finished meeting with Favre and asked her if they could help him with his project.

Favre's attorney, Bud Holmes, denied to Mississippi Today that the former quarterback knew he