Mississippi

Abby Wambach cutting ties with Favre-backed venture that got Mississippi welfare funds

Published

2 years ago

September 30, 2022

Abby Wambach cutting ties with Favre-backed venture that got Mississippi welfare funds

Retired U.S. ladies’s soccer star Abby Wambach started reducing ties Thursday with a three way partnership linked to Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer Brett Favre that obtained hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in Mississippi welfare funds, hours after NBC Information contacted her concerning the matter.

Wambach instructed NBC Information in an announcement she has “initiated the method to instantly and absolutely divest myself from any involvement — monetary and in any other case” — with Odyssey Well being Inc. and Prevacus, two corporations collectively touting a nasal spray designed to deal with concussions. Her assertion got here hours after NBC Information referred to as her to ask about her involvement within the controversial enterprise.

Odyssey Well being Inc. didn’t reply to a number of requests for remark.

Wambach mentioned by textual content message, “This morning, I used to be dismayed to study disturbing details about an organization I had backed as a part of my deeply private effort to minimize the influence of concussion-related accidents.”

Wambach wrote that she insisted the divestment “be full by finish of day right this moment.”

Wambach didn’t elaborate on what new data she had discovered.

The drug, often called PRV-002, was developed by an organization referred to as Prevacus, run by CEO Jake VanLandingham. Prevacus bought the drug to Odyssey Well being final 12 months, and VanLandingham turned the pinnacle of drug growth of Odyssey Well being. In a Securities and Alternate Fee submitting final 12 months, Prevacus and Odyssey signed an settlement for a three way partnership to develop the drug.

The state of Mississippi sued Prevacus and VanLandingham in Could to recoup $2.1 million in federal welfare funds the corporate obtained — cash that was supposed for use to assist low-income kids and households within the nation’s poorest state.

Textual content messages filed in court docket and first reported by Mississippi Right now present the cash went to the corporate after Favre solicited assist from then-Gov. Phil Bryant, together with a proposal to Bryant of inventory within the firm.

“Don’t know if authorized or not however we want reduce him in,” Favre texted an organization official, referring to Bryant, including three days later: “Additionally if authorized I’ll give a few of my shares to the Governor.”

In an interview with Mississippi Right now in April, Bryant mentioned he didn’t settle for the supply as a result of it might not have been acceptable. However he acknowledged that after he left workplace, he agreed by textual content to just accept inventory within the firm. Bryant as a substitute reduce ties with the agency after the state auditor issued a report that uncovered the improper welfare spending.

Wambach was amongst a number of former athletes who joined Favre in making an attempt to assist the enterprise market its drug, which has not accomplished the Meals and Drug Administration’s approval course of.

“Since I genuinely believed this firm was being clear a couple of product that might spare the subsequent technology of athletes from the extreme influence of concussion accidents that I endured as knowledgeable athlete, I’m profoundly indignant, disenchanted, and saddened by what I discovered right this moment,” Wambach mentioned in her assertion Thursday. “However these jarring developments, I’ll keep true to my mission of securing higher, extra equitable therapy of our athletes in each space of sport.”

Wambach publicly aligned herself with Prevacus in 2018, changing into an investor, and she or he started serving on the corporate’s Sports activities Advisory Board.

Her biography was faraway from the Odyssey web site Thursday afternoon.

When Wambach signed on, Favre was the biggest particular person exterior investor, with $250,000 dedicated, in response to a lawsuit filed by the Mississippi State Division of Human Companies.

Favre hosted a gathering at his dwelling in January 2019 with the corporate’s CEO, VanLandingham, and John Davis, then the pinnacle of the state’s welfare company, the federal government alleges in court docket paperwork. Davis has since pleaded responsible to federal fraud expenses.

After the assembly, the state welfare company gave a complete of $2.1 million in federal welfare funds to Prevacus and its company affiliate Prevasol MD via a grant recipient, in response to the welfare company lawsuit, which names Prevacus, Prevasol MD and VanLandingham as defendants.

VanLandingham instructed NBC Information in a textual content message that the $2.1 million “was used to develop our drug for human trials to deal with concussion.”

Favre has maintained that he didn’t know the funds that have been being distributed to the pharmaceutical firm or to a separate venture to construct a volleyball facility on the College of Southern Mississippi have been welfare funds. Favre personally obtained $1.1 million in welfare funds, a sum he repaid. The state auditor says he nonetheless owes $228,000 in curiosity. Favre has not been charged with any crime.

The federal welfare cash that was paid to Prevacus has not been repaid, in response to the Mississippi state auditor’s workplace.

VanLandingham declined to remark about whether or not Odyssey/Prevacus would return the cash.

Laura Strickler is a Washington-based investigative reporter with the NBC Information Investigative Unit.

Ken Dilanian is the justice and intelligence correspondent for NBC Information, based mostly in Washington.

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Mississippi

Mississippi High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – September 2

Published

6 hours ago

September 3, 2024

Press Room

Mississippi High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – September 2

The Mississippi high school football rankings saw some drastic changes after an opening week which saw multiple ranked matchups in the Magnolia State.

Brandon, Madison Central and Louisville each won top-10 games while Oak Grove, West Jones, Clinton and Germantown also picked up ranked wins.

Below is the updated Mississippi On3 Massey Ratings top 25, as of Sept. 2.

The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

CLICK HERE to watch high school games on NFHS Network now!

Previous Ranking: No. 4 (+3)
Madison Central opened the season in style with a 27-20 top-10 win over Ocean Springs. Ocean Springs shut out Madison Central for nearly the entire first half — until Madison Central running back Glen Singleton rattled off four consecutive rushing touchdowns. The Jaguars are on the road again Friday in the Mississippi game of the week as they travel to face No. 2 Brandon.

Previous Ranking: No. 3 (+1)
Brandon featured in another Mississippi top-10 game in week one, thrashing then-No. 7 Picayune Memorial 60-34. Star junior defensive back Preston Ashley recorded a 45-yard scoop-and-score touchdown, Logan Drummond returned a punt 61 yards to the house and Trey McQueen returned an interception 38 yards for a score in a night filled with unconventional scoring for the Bulldogs. Brandon will host No. 1 Madison Central on Friday.

Previous Ranking: No. 2 (-1)
Starkville took down Noxubee County 43-22 in week one. Tyson Knox picked off Mississippi State commit KaMario Taylor on Starkville’s own 1-yard line to keep the Yellowjackets’ 14-point lead in the second half. Two plays later, quarterback Jaylen Ruffin hit Jaheim Deanes for a 97-yard touchdown. Starkville now gets to look forward to hosting No. 20 West Point this week.

Previous Ranking: No. 1 (-3)
Oak Grove fell in the rankings this week simply by virtue of other teams’ impressive performances — as the Warriors won their game over No. 15 Grenada 38-24. Oak Grove quarterback Kellon Hall was 19-of-27 passing for 306 yards with a touchdown. Next up is No. 11 Ocean Springs at home.

Previous Ranking: No. 5
Tupelo escaped upset-minded Whitehaven last week with a 26-19 opening win. Quarterback Noah Gillon and running back J.J. Hill each accounted for two touchdowns as the Golden Wave came away with an ugly win in ugly conditions following a 90-minute weather delay. Tupelo will play Southaven on the road next.

Previous Ranking: No. 9 (+3)
Yet another top-10 matchup on opening night in Mississippi. Louisville took down then-No. 10 West Point 15-14 in a nailbiter. Louisville scored the only points of the second half — a 21-yard field goal to put the Wildcats on top. Louisville will hit the road again this week at Neshoba Central.

Previous Ranking: No. 8 (+1)
West Jones knocked Laurel out of the Mississippi top 25 with a dominant 34-6 win on Friday. Senior running back Elijah Jones was unstoppable on the ground with 226 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries. West Jones will play Northeast Jones on the road this Friday.

Previous Ranking: No. 21 (+13)
Clinton pulled off the upset in week one with a 26-20 win over then-No. 11 Warren Central in the ‘Red Carpet Bowl’. Jakobe Williams rushed for two touchdowns while the Clinton special teams and defense scored on a blocked punt and recovered three fumbles. A road game against Northwest Rankin is on deck.

Previous Ranking: No. 16 (+7)
Oxford owned one of the few week one blowouts on this list, beating Lafayette 45-0 in the ‘Crosstown Classic.’ All six of the Chargers’ touchdowns came on the ground. Oxford will play No. 22 South Panola at home this Friday.

Previous Ranking: No. 12 (+2)
Madison-Ridgeland moved to 3-0 on the season after a 50-6 win over Oak Forest Academy that was never in question. Pulaski Academy — The No. 9 team in Arkansas — is on deck for the Patriots.

11. Ocean Springs (-5)
12. Gulfport (+2)
13. Pearl (+4)
14. Germantown (+10)
15. Hartfield Academy (+3)

16. Grenada (-1)
17. Picayune Memorial (-10)
18. Hattiesburg (NR)
19. Jackson Prep (+3)
20. West Point (-10)

21. D’Iberville (NR)
22. South Panola (-9)
23. Poplarville (NR)
24. Warren Central (-13)
25. Gautier (NR)

Dropped from rankings: Northwest Rankin, Meridian, Columbia, Laurel

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Mississippi

MPCA testing the entirety of the Mississippi River within Minnesota

Published

14 hours ago

September 2, 2024

Press Room

MPCA testing the entirety of the Mississippi River within Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. —It winds 650 miles, rushing past the cities, industries and landscapes that make up Minnesota.

However, the Mississippi River has never gotten this type of attention from water quality professionals.

For the first time ever, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is testing the entirety of the river, from Itasca to Iowa, in a single year.

The governor’s office wants the river to be swimmable and fishable, but right now, parts of the river are polluted.

The MPCA says the upper Mississippi is largely healthy up north, but quality drops south of St. Cloud where metro development and tributaries from agriculture muddy the waters. The National Park Service says stretches of the river exceed water quality standards for things like mercury, bacteria and sediment.

Think of the testing like a checkup for one of our state’s most valuable and powerful resources. Researchers will check temperature, transparency and levels of pollutants like phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonia.

Crews also check fish for those contaminants and collect insects to test in a lab to identify any concerning trends.

“If we find the fish community is suffering — maybe the water is too warm and maybe there’s a thermal pollution source upstream or maybe it’s too much runoff — that sort of stuff. Temperature is an important indicator especially for sensitive species,” Isaac Martin with the MPCA said.

Also for the first time, the agency is looking for PFAS contamination with money from an Environmental Protection Agency grant to identify and stop the forever chemicals from streaming into the Mississippi.

PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals for industry and consumer products that don’t break down in the environment. While research is ongoing, the EPA says exposure to the chemicals can cause human health issues. It’s why the federal agency just lowered the amount allowed in drinking water.

“They go to parts per trillion, which is incredibly sensitive. You get that low, you’re talking drops in an Olympic swimming pool,” Martin said. “Part of the reason why it was chosen is because it’s a primary drinking source or potentially could be a primary drinking source. We’re just finding them in places we never expected to find them. We’re finding them almost everywhere and being that it is new, there’s just a lot of ‘I don’t know’ that goes with it.”

It’s too early to know what this complete snapshot will reveal, but we know this powerful river is part of our community, economy and health.

“Maybe you don’t use the resource yourself, but maybe you know someone who does or future generations of your own will,” Martin said. “In Minnesota, we’re just trying to be the best stewards we can be.”

The data from this testing will be available early next year. Researchers will use that data and compare it to 10-year pollution averages to determine which parts of the river are improved or impaired.

A full report will be released in 2026.

Erin Hassanzadeh

Erin is back home in the Twin Cities after stops in South Korea and Omaha. The Jefferson High School grad (Go Jags!) is excited to get back to storytelling in the community that raised her.

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Mississippi

Who should be SBLive’s Mississippi high school player of the week? (Aug. 25-31)

Published

21 hours ago

September 2, 2024

Press Room

Who should be SBLive’s Mississippi high school player of the week? (Aug. 25-31)

Here are the candidates for SBLive’s Mississippi high school Athlete of the Week for August25-31. Read through the nominees and cast your vote. The poll will close Sunday at 11:59 p.m. If you would like to make a nomination in a future week, email Tyler@scorebooklive.com. For questions/issues with he poll, email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com.

Editor’s note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.

Kohl Bradley, DB, George County: Racked up 17 tackles and returned an interception 80 yards for a touchdown in a 33-7 win over East Central.

DaJuan Colbert, DB, Natchez: Recorded 15 tackles, forced one fumble and returned another one 75 yards for a touchdown in a 58-50 win over Hancock.

Garrison Davis, QB, Holmes County Central: Completed 14 of his 21 pass attempts for 375 yards and three touchdowns in a 20-6 win over Vicksburg.

Xzavion Gainwell, DB, Yazoo County: Recorded nine tackles, an interception and an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Panthers’ 20-16 win over South Delta.

Elijah Jones, RB, West Jones: Had 24 carries 226 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-6 win over Laurel.

Kingi McNair, WR, Pearl: Caught four passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-20 win over Neshoba Central.

Ashton Nichols, DB, Clinton: Recorded six tackles to go with two big pass breakups, a blocked punt and a return for a touchdown in a 26-20 win over Warren Central.

Ethan Prater, RB, Pisgah: Rushed for 132 yards on 27 carries with three scores and caught a 60-yard touchdown pass in a 33-32 win over North Forrest.

Glen Singleton, RB, Madison Central: Rushed for 174 yards on 18 carries with all four touchdowns in a 27-20 win over Ocean Springs.

Damarius Yates, RB, Kemper County: Rushed for 193 yards on 17 carries and returned a kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown in a 38-15 win over Kosciusko.

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