The deposition in the civil lawsuit against retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre surrounding Mississippi’s welfare scandal has been pushed back at the request of the athlete’s attorneys, a court document shows.
A notice of deposition filed in Hinds County Circuit Court by attorneys for Mississippi’s Department of Human Services said Favre was scheduled to give sworn testimony on Oct. 26 at a hotel in Hattiesburg. A subsequent court document filed Friday shows the hearing has been rescheduled for Dec. 11 based on a request by Favre’s lawyers.
Favre has become entangled in Mississippi’s welfare scandal, a salient issue in the state’s gubernatorial election set for next month.
Instead of going to poor families, about $5 million in public funds helped pay for a volleyball arena that Favre also helped to fund, investigators said. Favre’s daughter played volleyball at University of Southern Mississippi, the site of the arena. Another $1.7 million went to develop a concussion treatment drug investigators have said Favre supported.
In total, about $77 million in public funds intended to assist Mississippi families were allegedly used to fund Favre’s pet projects
However, Favre is not the only one who stands accused. The Pro Football Hall of Famer is among more than three dozen defendants in a lawsuit the state Human Services director filed to recover some of the welfare money.
Favre has denied wrongdoing, sued the state auditor who investigated the misspending for defamation and said he paid back misspent welfare funds.
No criminal charges have been brought against Favre, although a former welfare department director and other people have pleaded guilty to their part in the misspending.
Amid the welfare scandal, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has seen his reputation fall so far that “blue Mississippi” has become something of a meme ahead of the state’s gubernatorial election this year.
Democrat Brandon Presley, the Public Service Commissioner, is running to unseat Reeves. He is the second cousin of Mississippi native Elvis Presley.
In February, The Horn reported on a poll showing the conditions under which Reeves could lose re-election.
Meanwhile, other observers have noted that a “blue Mississippi” looks more likely than usual. “I don’t think it’s gonna happen atm but Bississippi would be so f**king funny man,” one person remarked on Twitter. “Absolute devastation for the GOP.”
Now, Favre’s deposition has been pushed to December, after the election.
February flashback: Mississippi suddenly flips blue!?
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contribtued to this article.