Former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant has filed a defamation lawsuit against a reporter and Sports Illustrated’s former publisher over a May 2023 article that implicated him in the state’s welfare scandal. The article alleged that Bryant was a key player in the scandal, which involved the misallocation of welfare funds by the state’s welfare agency director, John Davis, during Bryant’s time in office. The scandal also implicated NFL legend Brett Favre, who allegedly received millions of dollars in misused funds.
Bryant’s lawsuit, filed in federal court, names The Arena Group and reporter Michael Rosenberg as defendants. The article in question, titled ‘The Driving Force’: How Brett Favre’s Demands for Cash Fueled a Scandal, accused Bryant of working with Davis to please Favre.
This is not the first time Bryant has been accused of involvement in the welfare scandal. Last year, reporter Anna Wolfe of Mississippi Today received a Pulitzer Prize for her reporting on Bryant’s alleged role in the scandal. In July, Bryant filed a defamation lawsuit against Mississippi Today to add Wolfe to the complaint.
Bryant’s latest lawsuit against Sports Illustrated seeks damages for income loss, damage to reputation, mental anguish, and emotional distress. The lawsuit also demands an apology and retraction from Sports Illustrated and Rosenberg. As of May 15, 2024, the article in question remains on Sports Illustrated’s website.
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