"I've been sued by Brett Favre before": Pat McAfee squeezes Hall of Famer's lawsuit into College Gameday broadcast
It's been an eventful year for Pat McAfee, who has been branded as the de facto face of ESPN's new-age NFL and college football coverage. McAfee signed a five-year deal with ESPN last year worth a reported $85 million and has since brought a number of A-list NFL personalities onto the show, including, but not limited to, Peyton Manning, Bill Belichick, and, of course, Aaron Rodgers.
McAfee has also been featured on College Gameday and was on location today alongside Nick Saban for coverage of the Florida State vs. Georgia Tech game.
Part of that coverage involved a discussion regarding the House vs. NCAA case, during which McAfee dropped a surprise reference regarding Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre. McAfee said:
“I’m no lawyer, I’ve been sued by Brett Favre before, so I’ve been through the entirety of the situation.
"What Charlie Baker laid out was this injunction which is going to get approved by a judge Q1 next year. Pretty much what everybody has heard is there will be $20 million for the school. That will operate like a salary cap seemingly for the schools and they’re going to be the ones negotiating with these players.”
Why did Brett Favre sue Pat McAfee?
Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre's alleged role in the Mississippi Welfare Fund scandal has been debated for a few years now. For his part, Favre has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the misappropriation of funds that were earmarked for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
"I would never accept any money for no-show appearances," Favre tweeted when the allegations came to light.
However, the allegations against the former NFL gunslinger swiftly made national news. McAfee discussed the string of reports against the Hall of Famer on his weekly show.
Following comments made on that show, Favre filed a lawsuit against McAfee (and fellow Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe), alleging that these allegations were slandering his reputation voiced on a public forum.
McAfee responded to the lawsuit on his show, saying:
"I have filed for the dismissal of Brett Favre’s defamation lawsuit against me in a Federal Court in the fine state of Mississippi. From the very beginning I thought the lawsuit against me was a joke. A fugaze. A rib. Today makes it all feel like there has been a true glitch in the simulation."
Favre ultimately dropped the lawsuit against the now-ESPN host in May of last year.