The stunning report from the Mississippi Clarion Ledger regarding an audit that revealed among other things payment of $1.1 million to Brett Favre “for speeches he never gave” raises plenty of questions, questions that demand answers.
Most obviously, has Favre paid back the money? If not, will he?
More importantly, how and why did this happen? Per the audit, Favre Enterprises was paid $1.1 million “for appearances, promotions, autographs and speaking engagements.” Auditors also determined that Favre “did not speak nor was he present for those events.”
One explanation is that Favre simply failed or refused to show up, pocketing the money while flashing a middle finger to the Mississippi Community Education Center, a nonprofit that received (and spent) millions in welfare funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. The other explanation would be more troubling, but it’s possible that the facts -- which must be fully investigated -- will lead in that direction.
What if (and this is just speculation based on the facts as developed by the audit and reported by the Clarion Ledger) Favre and/or whoever negotiated the deal knew that he was getting money for nothing, and that he wouldn’t be expected to actually do anything for the $1.1 million? The next question would become why would someone pay him $1.1 million for nothing? Then the question would become whether whoever authorized the payment is simply a major Brett Favre fanboy. Or the question would become whether whoever authorized the payment was getting something in return. Like, for example, a bag of cash containing a specific percentage of the money paid to Favre for the no-show job.
Again, this is all speculation. But it’s also normal and natural to wonder these things when a guy who would belong to one of the least needy families in all of Mississippi has gotten $1.1 million for services that he never provided.
However it plays out, Favre has an obligation to answer all questions, provide all information, and (above all else) pay back every cent, with interest.
