Chalk up a win for Shannon Sharpe … Brett Favre‘s defamation lawsuit against the Hall of Fame tight end was dismissed by a judge on Monday, ruling the 3x Super Bowl champ’s comments are protected under the U.S. Constitution.
Brett sued Shannon for comments he made about Favre on FS1’s “Undisputed” in 2022, characterized by the HOF signal caller as “egregiously false.” Sharpe’s comments concerned the ongoing fraud welfare scandal in Mississippi, where Favre, along with dozens of others, are accused of misusing tens of millions of dollars over a several-year period.
United States District Court Judge Keith Starrett issued his ruling in a filing, writing, “Sharpe’s comments are constitutionally protected rhetorical hyperbole using loose, figurative language.”
Starrett went on to dismiss the suit for those reasons.
Among Sharpe’s comments, he accused Favre of “taking from the underserved” and stealing “money from people that really needed that money.”
Despite the ruling, Favre doesn’t seem done with Shannon … a rep for the Packers legend told ESPN he was evaluating their next steps.
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision. Mr. Sharpe’s statements were unquestionably false and defamatory. We are considering our options,” Brett’s representative told the network.
As for Shannon, he was thrilled with the news.
“The United States District Court 4 the Southern District of Mississippi 2day dismissed Brett Favre’s defamation lawsuit against me. The court found the statements were protected by the 1st Amendment 2 the Constitution. Thanks 2 my legal team and their handling of this case. 🙏🏾🙏🏾”
Shannon wasn’t the only retired NFL star turned media mogul in Favre’s sights. BF also sued Pat McAfee for defamation. Brett withdrew the lawsuit after Pat apologized on the air for accusing Favre of stealing from people in need.
Favre has NOT been charged criminally and has adamantly denied any wrongdoing in the welfare case