Current:Home > InvestJudge rules ex-NFL star Shannon Sharpe did not defame Brett Favre on FS1 talk show-LoTradeCoin
Judge rules ex-NFL star Shannon Sharpe did not defame Brett Favre on FS1 talk show
View Date:2024-12-23 21:50:29
A federal judge has dismissed former NFL quarterback Brett Favre's defamation suit against fellow Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, calling the comments Sharpe made on a Fox Sports 1 broadcast "rhetorical hyperbole."
Favre filed suit in February, alleging the former Denver Broncos tight end made "egregiously false" statements about him on the talk show "Undisputed" when discussing Favre's connection to a welfare misspending case in Mississippi.
Sharpe in September 2022 accused the Hall of Fame quarterback of "taking from the underserved" and said he "stole money from people that really needed that money" as part of the huge public corruption case.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett ruled that Sharpe's words were "examples of protected, colorful speech referring to needy families in Mississippi."
Favre had also sued ESPN talk show host Pat McAfee, but dropped that suit after McAfee publicly apologized for comments he made about the scandal.
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
STAY UP-TO-DATE: Subscribe to our Sports newsletter for exclusive content
On Monday's edition of his "Nightcap" podcast with fellow NFL alum Chad Johnson, Sharpe praised the judge's ruling.
"I wasn't going to issue an apology because if I'd have issued an apology I'd have felt I'd done something wrong," he said. "I just hope the people of Mississippi have their day in court."
In his ruling, Starrett wrote that "no reasonable person listening to the Broadcast would think that Favre actually went into the homes of poor people and took their money − that he committed the crime of theft/larceny against any particular poor person in Mississippi."
Favre is not facing criminal charges in the investigation, but is among more than three dozen people the state is suing to recover more than $77 million in misspent funds from the state's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. That money instead went toward projects at the University of Southern Mississippi − Favre's alma mater − that benefited wealthy and well-connected people.
veryGood! (547)
Related
- Eminem, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow, N.W.A. and Janet Jackson get Songwriters Hall of Fame nods
- Only 31 new emojis will be introduced this year as approvals slow to a trickle
- Twitch bans some gambling content after an outcry from streamers
- DALL-E is now available to all. NPR put it to work
- Voters in Oakland oust Mayor Sheng Thao just 2 years into her term
- Teen Mom's Jenelle Evans Regains Custody of Son Jace From Mom Barbara Evans
- Police crack down on 'Ndrangheta mafia in sweeping bust across Europe
- Elon Musk wants to get out of buying Twitter. A whistleblower's claims might help him
- Beyoncé has released lots of new products. Here's a Beyhive gift guide for the holidays
- Move over, Bruce Willis: NASA crashed into an asteroid to test planetary defense
Ranking
- Mississippi expects only a small growth in state budget
- Coronation fever: Meet a royal superfan from the U.S. braving the weather to camp out in a prime spot
- On World Press Freedom Day, U.N. reveals unbelievable trends in deadly attacks against journalists
- Uber lobbied and used 'stealth' tech to block scrutiny, according to a new report
- Bears fire offensive coordinator Shane Waldron amid stretch of 23 drives without a TD
- Bad Bunny Appears to Diss Kendall Jenner's Ex Devin Booker in New Song
- Would you like a side of offshoring with that?
- Russia claims Ukraine tried to attack Kremlin with drones in terrorist act targeting Vladimir Putin
Recommendation
-
Lee Zeldin, Trump’s EPA Pick, Brings a Moderate Face to a Radical Game Plan
-
Netflix will roll out a cheaper plan with ads for $6.99 per month in November
-
Kim and Khloe Kardashian Share Rare Photos With Beautifully Brave Brother Rob Kardashian
-
Succession’s Sarah Snook Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby With Husband Dave Lawson
-
More than 150 pronghorns hit, killed on Colorado roads as animals sought shelter from snow
-
Here's what Elon Musk will likely do with Twitter if he buys it
-
Families of detained Americans plead for meeting with Biden
-
Robinhood cuts nearly a quarter of its staff as the pandemic darling loses its shine