Brett Favre lobbied for funding for University of Southern Mississippi athletic programs to help recruit current Jackson State quarterback Sheduer Sanders to the school, according to published reports.
In addition to asking then-Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant to allocate $5 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Family dollars toward a volleyball court, Favre also pushed for an additional $1.5 million to build an indoor football facility that could attract Sanders, the son of JSU head coach Deion Sanders, Front Office Sports reported.
“I picked up Deion Sanders and his son who is going to be a junior in high school and plays QB,” Favre wrote in a text to Bryant in 2019. “He has at least 30 offers thus far including us. Deion and I have been great friends since 91’ and have great respect for each other.
Sanders, who was a four-star quarterback at Trinity Christian High School where his father served as the offensive coordinator, had previously committed to Florida Atlantic before signing with JSU after Deion Sanders was named coach in 2020.
“As I suspected Deion’s son asked where the indoor facility was and I said [we] don’t have one but [we] are hoping to break ground in less than 2 years. … I know we have the [the volleyball center] to complete first and I’m asking a lot,” wrote Favre.
Front Office Sports indicated that funding for football facility upgrades was not approved, but would have if not for a state investigation.
Neither Deion Sanders nor Shedeur Sanders had any knowledge or involvement in Favre’s dealings.
The retired NFL quarterback is among several people under investigation related to a widespread welfare scandal where millions meant for poor and disenfranchised Mississippi families were used to support the interests of wealthy individuals. As first revealed in an investigation by Mississippi Today, state auditors determined that at least $77 million in welfare funds were misspent or stolen in the largest case of public fraud in state history.
