Brett Favre's Attorneys Seeking Revival of Defamation Suit Against Shannon Sharpe

The suit was thrown out by a Mississippi federal judge in 2023.

Brett Favre played 20 seasons in the NFL. / Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY NETWORK

Nearly three decades after battling him in the Super Bowl, Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre wants to battle Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe in the courtroom.

Favre's lawyers argued Tuesday in the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that a past defamation lawsuit Favre filed against Sharpe should be revived—nine months after a Mississippi federal judge threw out the case.

The lawsuit stems from statements Sharpe made in 2022 related to Favre's alleged connection to a welfare misappropriation scandal.

On Fox Sports 1, Sharpe said Favre "(took) from the underserved" and "stole money from people that really needed that money."

Favre's attorneys contended the statement constituted defamation, while Sharpe's insisted his speech was constitutionally protected. Judge Keith Starrett agreed with Sharpe's lawyers.

"No reasonable person listening to the Broadcast would think that Favre actually went into the homes of poor people and took their money," Starrett wrote in the fall.

Favre—a Gulfport, Miss. native—played 20 years in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings. Sharpe played 14 years for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens; the two players faced off in Super Bowl XXXII, with Sharpe's Broncos winning 31-24.