LOS ANGELES -- NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre has begun repaying $1.1 million he received in welfare money for speeches he never gave, the Mississippi state auditor said Wednesday.
Shad White said in a statement that his office had received $500,000 from Favre, who has also pledged to pay another $600,000 in instalments over the coming months.
On Monday, White had released an audit of spending by the Mississippi Department of Human Services that showed Favre had been paid $1.1 million for three speaking engagements, a radio spot and a keynote address, none of which he participated in.
The money came from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which is funded by the federal government to aid impoverished families.
White said in a statement there was no indication that Favre -- who was paid through the non-profit Mississippi Community Education Center (MCEC) -- knew that was the case.
"Today my office has received $500,000 from Brett Favre in repayment for TANF money he was paid through MCEC and a commitment to repay the remainder in instalments over the next few months," White said.
"The money will be held in our clearing account for a period and then be sent, in full, to the Mississippi Department of Human Services to be used for TANF-appropriate expenditures.
"I want to applaud Mr. Favre for his good faith effort to make this right and make the taxpayers and TANF families whole," White added. "To date, we have seen no records indicating Mr. Favre knew that TANF was the program that served as the source of the money he was paid."
In the audit report released on Monday, White said his office found that more than $94 million of federal grant money that went to the Department of Human Services in Mississippi -- one of the poorest states in the United States -- was allegedly spent improperly, converted to personal use, spent on family members and friends or wasted.
A former Human Services director and five others, including a former director of the MCEC, were indicted on state charges of embezzling some $4 million in TANF funds and have pleaded not guilty.
Favre, who won a Super Bowl with the Packers in the 1996 season before retiring in 2010 as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, is a Mississippi native who now lives in the state.
Agence France-Presse
LOS ANGELES -- A fired-up Tom Brady notched another milestone NFL win on Sunday as the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots powered past the Buffalo Bills 23-3.
Brady connected on 21 of 30 passes for 258 yards as he notched his 27th career victory over the Bills. He broke Brett Favre's league record for most quarterback wins against a single opponent.
Brady also joined Favre, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees as the only NFL quarterbacks with at least 65,000 career passing yards.
The Patriots improved to 10-2 -- their 15th straight seasons with at least 10 wins -- but it wasn't always pretty.
New England didn't score a touchdown in the first half for the first time this season and Brady's frustration boiled over with some choice words for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels after the Pats' first field goal.
Rex Burkhead rushed for two touchdowns. Tight end Rob Gronkowski caught nine passes for 147 yards but delivered an ugly late hit on Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White with the game well in hand in the fourth quarter.
White was evaluated for a head injury after intercepting Brady late in the fourth. Gronkowski drove his shoulder into White as he lay face down on the turf after the whistle.
"There is no room in this league for that type of crap," Bills safety Jordan Poyer said, and Gronkowski himself was apologetic after the game.
"I was just really frustrated at that moment," Gronkowski said. "I don't really believe in those type of shots."
The Bills lost for the fourth time in five games. Making matters worse, Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor was carted to the locker room with a knee injury early in the fourth quarter.
The Minnesota Vikings also notched an eighth straight win, downing the Falcons 14-9 in Atlanta.
The Ravens notched a big win in Baltimore, where Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes and Alex Collins ran for a two scores in a 44-20 victory over the Detroit Lions.
The Ravens boosted their playoff hopes with a third straight win, but will make their stretch run without cornerback Jimmy Smith, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury.
- Garoppolo pilots 49ers to win -
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, making his third career start and first for the 49ers, came away with a 15-14 victory over the Chicago Bears after veteran kicker Robbie Gould booted his fifth field goal of the game with four seconds remaining.
The field goal capped a 14-play, 86-yard drive directed by Garoppolo and gave the 49ers their first away win of the season.
In Green Bay, Aaron Jones rushed for a 20-yard touchdown with 5:59 left in overtime to lift the Packers to a 26-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The New York Jets beat the Kansas City Chiefs 38-31 on Josh McCown's touchdown plunge from a yard out with 2:10 left to play.
The Chiefs lost for the sixth time in seven games and are now tied atop the AFC West with the surprising Los Angeles Chargers, who beat the Cleveland Browns 19-10.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
