The investigative journalist who uncovered the role of Brett Favre in the largest case of public fraud in Mississippi history won a Pulitzer Prize Tuesday.
Anne Wolf of Mississippi Today’s five-part series, “The Backchannel,” exposes how former governor Phil Bryant used his office to steer at least $77 million in welfare funds to benefit family and friends, including Favre.
“I’m very aware of the importance of this moment for us and for Anna and for me, and it’s the top of the mountain for any journalist in America,” Mississippi Today editor-in-chief, Adam Ganucheau, told Poynter.
Favre, 53, was one of the original 38 defendants named in a civil lawsuit filed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) to recoup the misallocated welfare funds. The crux of the case against the Hall of Fame quarterback involves a volleyball facility built in 2019 at Favre’s alma mater, Southern Mississippi, where his daughter played.
Text messages show that Favre repeatedly pushed state officials to help fund the venture, even though Bryant told him misusing the welfare funds could be illegal.
“We feel that your name is the perfect choice for this facility and we are not taking No for an answer! You are a Southern Miss Alumni, and folks need to know you are also a supporter of the University,” Favre texted the now-disgraced governor.
Ultimately, Southern Miss’ athletic department received $5 million from the state to construct new facilities.
In addition, a state audit found that Favre was paid $1.1 million from the welfare fund for speeches he didn’t make. Favre was a top investor in a biomedical startup, Prevacus, which received a $1.7 million investment from the state as well (the company claimed it had found a treatment for concussions).
Eight people have been indicted in the case, and six have pled guilty,
The investigation remains ongoing, and Favre has not been criminally charged. His attorneys have filed multiple motions urging a judge to dismiss the Super Bowl champ from the lawsuit, most recently in February.
Favre, for his part, has largely stayed quiet over the last year; though this week, he tweeted support for Tucker Carlson and urged his followers to boycott Fox News.
[Poynter]
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