Text messages link Brett Favre to plan rerouting funds from nonprofit to university volleyball facility

The governor of Mississippi in 2017 was "on board" with a plan for a nonprofit group to pay Brett Favre more than $1 million US in welfare grant money so the retired NFL quarterback could help fund a university volleyball facility, according to a text messages between Favre and the director of the nonprofit.

Court documents filed Monday by an attorney for the Mississippi Community Education Center contain text messages between Favre and the centre's executive director, Nancy New, that include references to Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who left office in 2020.

Nancy New and her son, Zachary New, who helped run the nonprofit, pleaded guilty in April to charges of misspending welfare money that was intended to help some of the poorest people in the nation. They await sentencing and have agreed to testify against others in Mississippi's largest public corruption case in decades.

In May, the Mississippi Department of Human Services filed a civil lawsuit against Favre, three former pro wrestlers and several other people and businesses to try to recover millions of misspent welfare dollars. The lawsuit said the defendants "squandered" more than $20 million from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families anti-poverty program.

In pleading guilty, Nancy and Zachary New acknowledged taking part in spending $4 million of welfare money for a volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi.

The mother and son also acknowledged directing welfare money to Prevacus Inc., a Florida-based company that was trying to develop a concussion drug. Favre has said in interviews that he supported Prevacus.

The filing in a Mississippi state court included text message exchanges between Favre and Nancy New about arranging payment from