Brett Favre to Be Deposed Over Mississippi Welfare Scandal

Brett Favre is set to testify in a Mississippi lawsuit centering on the alleged misuse of state welfare funds later this month.

The retired NFL quarterback, 53, is scheduled to give a testimony under oath on Oct. 26 at a hotel in Hattiesburg, according to a court filing obtained by the Associated Press and NBC News. He was previously named, along with more than 40 others, as part of a lawsuit by the Mississippi Department of Human Services to regain some misspent welfare funds.

The lawsuit was filed after an investigation from Mississippi’s state auditor, Shad White, found that approximately $77 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds from 2016-2019 had not gone to families in need but instead were used to fund projects by Favre and several others, per the outlets.

White said he discovered that about $5 million of TANF funds were used to fund a volleyball arena at Favre’s alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, where his daughter also played volleyball, per ESPN. Approximately $1.7 million had also gone toward developing a treatment drug for concussions which was supported by Favre, per the AP. 

White also claimed that Favre was given $1.1 million for motivational speeches he did not make. While Favre said he repaid the money, the state auditor said $228,000 in interest was still owed, per NBC News.

“My office looks forward to hearing Mr. Favre’s answers under oath about what happened to Mississippi’s welfare dollars,” White told NBC News on Wednesday.

Favre has denied all wrongdoing in this case and said he had not known that he received TANF funds. “No one ever told me, and I did not know, that funds designated for welfare recipients were going to the University or me,” he told Fox News last year.

PEOPLE was unable to reach out to Favre’s attorney for comment.

Former Mississippi Department of Human Services official John Davis pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to commit theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, and one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Court documents said he fraudulently obtained and misused federal TANF funds and funds from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) for his “personal use and benefit.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The court documents allege Davis directed the Mississippi Department of Human Services to provide funds to two nonprofit organizations, which awarded contracts “to various entities and individuals for social services that were never provided,” per the release.

A total of eight people have been indicted in this case so far, with six of them, including Davis, having pleaded guilty, per ESPN.