Did Brett Favre’s charity funnel funds to his old school, the University of Southern Mississippi?

With this most recent update, it looks like the walls are closing in on the former NFL icon, but honestly, the scrutiny and possible punishment might well be deserved.

Did Brett Favre’s NGO secretly donate money to the USM Athletic Foundation?

According to reports, it appears the former Green Bay Packers QB and NFL great Brett Favre may be embroiled in a less-than-legal scenario in which his charity seems to have funneled money at the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation during the period of 2018-2020. In effect, tax records seem to show that Favre also attempted to raise funds for a new volleyball center at the institution he previously attended, and where his daughter also studied and was a member of the volleyball team at the time.

Favre’s charity, “Favre 4 Hope”, was established to support charities that provide support to underserved and disabled children in addition to breast cancer patients, according to its mission statement. Lately, concerns have been raised when tax records appeared to show the charity made large donations to the USM Athletic Foundation that exceeded $130,000. It is understood that the amount in question was significantly higher than payments made to other organisations.

The Breakdown: A look at “Favre 4 Hope” and its gifts

As far as we know, “Favre 4 Hope” donated $60,000 to USM in 2018, $46,817 in 2019, and $26,175 in 2020. Compared to the largest donation made to any other organization over the same period, $11,000 at the Special Olympics held in Mississippi in 2019, there is an obvious size difference. To be specific, the largest donations made in 2018 and 2020 were payments of $10,000 made to various organizations. According to records, additional payments were also made to Favre’s daughter’s high school before she enrolled at USM. Not a good look to say the least.

In case you missed it, the ‘Favre 4 Hope’ charity is at the heart of a much larger scandal involving the embezzlement of around $77 million, making it the world’s biggest public corruption case. of Mississippi history. As it stands, it is claimed that Favre texted to the director of a non-profit organization expressing concern that his name might be made public, according to reports.

‘Favre 4 Hope’ has failed in its obligation

There you have it, besides the obvious illegality of Favre’s actions and his charity, there is also the ethical obligation they failed to meet. That is to say, the money the former Packers star and his NGO received came with a mandate as to how it was supposed to be spent as far as the donors themselves were concerned. By now, we’ve seen former Mississippi Department of Human Services Executive Director John Davis plead guilty earlier this month to a count of conspiracy and a count of theft regarding programs receiving federal funds. Davis is understood to have cooperated with four unnamed co-conspirators, two of whom are executive directors of organizations.

“MDHS provided federal funds to two nonprofits and then ordered the two nonprofits to fraudulently award contracts to various entities and individuals for social services that were never provided,” the United States Department of Justice said in a statement Sept. 22.

From Hall of Fame to Shame: Brett Favre’s record is tarnished

It’s hard to imagine that the same QB who endeared himself to us so long ago is now the central figure in what appears to be a case of massive fraud. Fans will remember that Favre played quarterback at Southern Miss from 1987 to 1990, before being selected as the 33rd overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1991 NFL Draft. Traded to the Packers from Green Bay the following offseason, Favre would become a household name between 1992 and 2007, as he won three consecutive MVP awards – 1995-97 – and Super Bowl XXXI. After his time in Green Bay, he joined the Jets in 2008 before moving to the Vikings for a two-season stay (2009 and 2010) before ending his illustrious career. The legendary signal caller was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016 and until now was widely considered a darling of the sport. How times change.