The Magnolia state was turned on its head on February 5, 2020, when Mississippi’s former director of the Department of Health and Human Services, John Davis, was among six individuals arrested and charged with embezzling state welfare money. You know, taking money from the impoverished to enrich themselves and their own personal endeavors. Yuck.
Then, in May 2022, the state launched a civil lawsuit against 38 more people, including famous retired football quarterback Brett Favre, for profiting from the scheme. In the lawsuit obtained by Mississippi Today, attorney Brad Pigott alleged that Favre was instrumental in diverting funds from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program to fund $5 million towards a volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi. The school is his alma mater, where his daughter was attending and playing volleyball at the time. Another $1.7 million went towards the creation of Prevacus, a concussion drug of which Favre was an investor. But that’s not all — it’s also alleged that he received $1 million in speaking fees that he never actually spoke for. Yikes. By October 2021, official audits revealed that more than $77 million in welfare funds had been spent illegally.
So, how does this involve HGTV’s Ben Napier? As it turns out, he was somewhat instrumental in constructing Favre’s fancy, ill-gotten volleyball complex, ironically dubbed the Wellness Center, though it’s not exactly what you’d think.
