Favre's Defamation Case Dismissed by Appeals Court

A federal appeals court has refused to revive Brett Favre's defamation lawsuit against Shannon Sharpe. Favre sued Sharpe over comments made on a Fox Sports show in 2022 concerning Favre's alleged involvement in a Mississippi welfare scandal. The court ruled that Sharpe's statements were constitutionally protected opinions based on publicly known facts. Favre had been accused of receiving $1.1 million in speaking fees from welfare funds and arranging $5 million for a volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi. Despite repayment of the $1.1 million, Favre was not criminally charged but named in a civil suit by the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The appellate panel noted that Sharpe's co-host corrected any inaccuracies during the broadcast.